Top Players in Each Position Recognized at the NCAA Women’s Final Four
Tampa, Flor. (April 4, 2019) – Tonight, at the College Women's Basketball Awards Presentation at the Women’s Final Four in Tampa, the Basketball Hall of Fame and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association revealed this year’s five positional award winners, also known as the Naismith Starting 5.
In addition to the esteemed Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award which has been presented since 2000, the Basketball Hall of Fame and the WBCA established four additional awards last season: the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard Award, Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award, Katrina McClain Power Forward Award and Lisa Leslie Center Award. Each award’s namesake headed her own selection committee and was on hand to present her award.
"The Basketball Hall of Fame is proud to celebrate the best in the game, men and women at every level,” said John Doleva, President of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “The student-athletes honored in Tampa are so deserving of this acknowledgment and we are proud to create unique experiences, allowing today’s rising stars to establish relationships with legends of the game.”
2019 Women’s Naismith Starting 5:
Sabrina Ionescu (Oregon) - Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Award
Asia Durr (Louisville) - Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Award
Bridget Carleton (Iowa St.)- Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Award
Napheesa Collier (Connecticut)- Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Award
Megan Gustafson (Iowa) - Lisa Leslie Center of the Year
2019 Naismith Starting 5 Finalists:
2019 Nancy Lieberman Award Finalists
Crystal Dangerfield (Connecticut)
Sabrina Ionescu (Oregon)
Destiny Slocum (Oregon St.)
Tyasha Harris (South Carolina)
Tiana Mangakahia (Syracuse)
2019 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Finalists
Katie Lou Samuelson (Connecticut)
Maci Morris (Kentucky)
Asia Durr (Louisville)
Arike Ogunbowale (Notre Dame)
Kiana Williams (Stanford)
2019 Cheryl Miller Award Finalists
Bridget Carleton (Iowa St.)
Sophie Cunningham (Missouri)
Kaila Charles (Maryland)
Jackie Young (Notre Dame)
Satou Sabally (Oregon)
2019 Katrina McClain Award Finalists
Lauren Cox (Baylor)
Reyna Frost (Central Michigan)
Napheesa Collier (Connecticut)
Ruthy Hebard (Oregon)
Alanna Smith (Stanford)
2019 Lisa Leslie Award Finalists
Kalani Brown (Baylor)
Kristine Anigwe (California)
Megan Gustafson (Iowa)
Beatrice Mompremier (Miami)
Teaira McCowan (Mississippi St.)
About the WBCA:
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. The WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to those organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. For more information, visit us online: www.WBCA.org, follow @wbca1981 or call 1-770-279-8027.
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame:
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit www.hoophall.com, follow @hoophall or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.