PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Three American Athletic Conference women’s basketball players were named to the Basketball Hall of Fame preseason award Watch Lists last week as the clock ticks down to the start of the season on Nov. 6.

UConn senior Katie Lou Samuelson and USF senior Kitija Laksa were named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List, bestowed annually to the nation’s top shooting guard. Husky junior Crystal Dangerfield landed on the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List as a point guard, and teammate Napheesa Collier was tabbed to the Katrina McClain Award Watch List, which recognizes the nation's top power forward.

Samuelson and Laksa both repeat as Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List honorees from the 2017 year. Entering her senior campaign, Samuelson earned WBCA Coaches', AP and USBWA First Team All-America honors in 2018 for the second straight year. She is also a two-time American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and was tabbed the league's Preseason Player of the Year for the upcoming season. Samuelson led the Huskies with 17.4 points per game last season while also leading the nation with a 47.5 three-point field goal percentage.

Laksa was a record-setter as a junior, and was voted to the Preseason All-Conference First Team for the third consecutive year. In 2017, she ranked second in the conference with 21.1 points per game, twice surpassing 40 points in a single game and tying the conference’s single-game record with 41 against Ohio State on Feb. 11, 2018. Laksa additionally broke the NCAA record for single-season free throw percentage with her astounding mark of 96.5 percent last season, and set a new national record for consecutive 3-pointers made with 11 against Southern on Dec. 15, 2017.

Dangerfield makes her Watch List debut heading into her junior season. Last season, she ranked second on UConn with 142 assists as the team ranked second nationally with 22.8 assists per game. She also averaged 9.5 points and 2.1 rebounds per game while grabbing 59 steals. Dangerfield was named to the 2018 American Athletic Conference Third Team and the conference's All-Tournament Team. The Murfreesboro, Tenn., native was named Preseason All- Conference First Team earlier this month. Four former Huskies have won the Lieberman Award eight times: Sue Bird (2000, '01, '02), Diana Taurasi (2003, '04), Renee Montgomery (2009) and Moriah Jefferson (2015, '16).

Collier, a senior, was a finalist for the McClain Award in 2018. Last season, she was named an AP Third Team All-American and an American Athletic Conference First Team selection. She ranked second on the Huskies with 16.1 points per game and averaged 7.4 rebounds per game. Collier notched six double-doubles in 2017-18. The O'Fallon, Mo., native spent September training with the U.S. National Team and was a finalist for USA Basketball's FIBA World Cup roster.

UConn and USF were picked first and second, respectively, in the 2018 American Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll. The two squads have met in the conference championship game the past four years.