SAN FRANCISCO — One of the best point guards on the West Coast and in the country comes to The Hilltop for the 2020-21 season, as the University of San Francisco women's basketball team announced the signing of Jessica McDowell-White, a Big Sky Conference all-tournament honoree and record-setting point guard from Eastern Washington University by way of Brisbane, Australia.
 
Jessica McDowell-White | Guard | 5-6 | Brisbane, Australia/Brisbane State HS/Eastern Washington
 
McDowell-White spent the first two years of her college career in Cheney, Wash., at Eastern Washington, placing her name among the Eagles' career and single-season top-10 lists in multiple categories. Her prowess is in distributing the ball, collecting 232 assists over two years, including 157 last season alone. She led the Big Sky Conference and ranked among the top-25 in the nation last year in assists per game (5.4, 20th) and total assists (24th), both top-10 single-season marks at EWU. She was also fifth in the Big Sky Conference with a 1.83 assists-to-turnovers ratio (79th in the country).
 
She's also a shooter, carrying a 36.1% career 3-point percentage through her first two years. Last season, she made a 3-pointer in all but two games and had at least three treys in 10 contests. She scored over 200 points as both a freshman and a sophomore, and has 26 double-digit scoring games to her name. She helped lead the Eagles to a Big Sky Conference Tournament championship game appearance as a freshman in 2018-19, hitting the game-winning shot in the semifinals and the game-tying free-throw in the quarters on her way to earning all-tournament honors.
 
Before McDowell-White got to Eastern Washington, she was already a star back in her home country of Australia. A member of her age group Australian national team for many years, she led her U-17 team to an Oceania championship. She averaged 5.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game for the U-18 national team, and most recently poured in 8.3 ppg while averaging 4.1 assists for the U-20 squad.
 
McDowell-White comes from a long line of athletes in her family. Her father, Darryl, is considered one of the greatest Australian Football players of all-time after a 14-year career that saw him win three AFL premierships and be named to the Indigenous Team of the Century in 2005. She has a brother, William, who played in the NBA G-League last season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Another brother, also named Darryl, played Division I basketball at Fresno State before finishing his career at The Master's University last season.
 
USF Head Coach Molly Goodenbour on Jessica McDowell-White
 
"Jess will be a great addition to our team. She is a tough, dynamic point guard and a confident player who has the ability to make clutch plays in critical situations. Jess is a savvy player and good decision-maker and will be a tremendous asset for our team.
 
"An excellent passer, she was a leader in the Big Sky Conference in assists and assists-to-turnovers ratio. She will make an immediate impact for our program and we are excited to welcomed her to USF."
 
2020-21 SIGNEES
 
Read more below about the rest of the Dons' signees that McDowell-White will join for the 2020-21 season:
 
Forward Jumoke Adaramoye

Guard Sofia Persson