SPRINGFIELD, MA – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today that Odyssey Sims from Baylor University is the winner of the 2014 Nancy Lieberman Award. This award recognizes the top point guard in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball. Candidates exhibit the floor leadership, play-making and ball-handling skills of Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman.
“We are proud to recognize Odyssey Sims for her exceptional talent and determination as a point guard,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “This is the Basketball Hall of Fame’s first year presenting the award, and Odyssey sets a high standard for all future winners to come.”
“I am thrilled to honor Odyssey for her hard work,” Lieberman said. “I am confident that she has earned this recognition because of what she has done for the Baylor program. Her strength is unflappable and her skills are prolific.”
Sims, a senior from Irving, Texas, was named Big 12 Player of the Year and the league’s Defensive Player of the Year. She is a three-time WBCA All-American, a three-time USBWA All-American and was National Freshman of the Year when she started at Baylor. She is this year’s Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award winner and leads Baylor on the career charts in assists (641) and three-point field goals made (258).
“I am so proud of Odyssey for winning the Nancy Lieberman Award,” said Kim Mulkey, head coach of the Baylor University women’s basketball team. “She has always been a huge asset to our team, but has also made such progress and has come so far since her freshman year. I couldn’t be happier for her.”
The original watch list of 29 candidates was narrowed down to 22 in February, then down to five in March. Previous winners of the Nancy Lieberman Award include last year’s recipient Skylar Diggins (Notre Dame), Sue Bird (Connecticut), Renee Montgomery (Connecticut), Diana Taurasi (Connecticut), Lindsey Harding (Duke), Courtney Vandersloot (Gonzaga), Temeka Johnson (LSU), Kristi Toliver (Maryland), Ivory Latta (North Carolina) and Andrea Riley (Oklahoma State).