The 10 semifinalists for the women’s Naismith Award, given to the top player in college basketball each season, were revealed Thursday, with the result expected to be a foregone conclusion.
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, the 2023 winner of the honor, stands out among the Division I players who were recognized by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
Also named finalists were Paige Bueckers (UConn), Cameron Brink (Stanford), Elizabeth Kitley (Virginia Tech), Angel Reese (LSU), Madison Booker (Texas), Kamilla Cardoso (South Carolina), Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame), JuJu Watkins (Southern California) and Jacy Sheldon (Ohio State).
The 10 Naismith Coach of the Year semifinalists also were named, including Iowa’s Lisa Bluder. Other semifinalists included Jennie Baranczyk (Oklahoma), Kenny Brooks (Virginia Tech), Lisa Fortier (Gonzaga), Lindsay Gottlieb (Southern California), Felisha Legette-Jack (Syracuse), Kevin McGuff (Ohio State), Vic Shaefer (Texas), Dawn Staley (South Carolina) and Tara VanDerveer (Stanford).
Staley has won the coaches’ award in three of the past four seasons, including the past two.
Clark is a three-time Big Ten Player of the Year and stands out again this season by leading the nation with 31.9 points per game. Her exploits have led Iowa to score 92.8 points per game, also the best in the nation.
Clark not only became the NCAA’s all-time scoring leader this season, among women and men, she set the Division I record for 3-pointers in a season and the Big Ten record in assists.
–Field Level Media