Basketball Hall of Fame Names Top Female Collegiate Point Guards to Watch List
SPRINGFIELD, MASS. – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today the 20 watch list candidates for the 2017 Nancy Lieberman Award. Now in its eighteenth year, the 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. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame became the host of the Nancy Lieberman Award three years ago after the Rotary Club of Detroit managed it for several years.
“Nancy Lieberman was and continues to be a trailblazer for women in basketball,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “Before she was an assistant coach in the NBA, Nancy was an outstanding collegiate point guard, much like the tremendous student-athletes on this watch list. With her leadership and vision, we look forward to identifying the top female point guard in the game this season.”
The Selection Committee for the Nancy Lieberman Award is composed of top women’s college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers. By mid-February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2017 Lieberman Award will be narrowed to just 10. In March, five finalists will be presented to Ms. Lieberman and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2017 Lieberman Award will be announced at the NCAA Women’s Final Four in Dallas, TX.
“It’s truly an honor to be the namesake of this award recognizing the best point guards in college basketball,” Lieberman said. “When you look at the list of winners over the past 16 years, we’ve celebrated some extraordinarily talented players and I can’t wait to see who will earn the right to have her name among these greats.”
Previous winners of the Nancy Lieberman Award include Moriah Jefferson, Connecticut (2015-16), Odyssey Sims, Baylor (2014), Skylar Diggins, Notre Dame (2012-13), Courtney Vandersloot, Gonzaga (2011), Andrea Riley, Oklahoma State (2010), Renee Montgomery, Connecticut (2009), Kristi Toliver, Maryland (2008), Lindsey Harding, Duke (2007), Ivory Latta, North Carolina (2006), Temeka Johnson, LSU (2005), Diana Taurasi, Connecticut (2003-04), and Sue Bird, Connecticut (2000-02).
For more information on the 2017 Nancy Lieberman Award, log onto www.pointguard.org.
2017 Nancy Lieberman Award Candidates
Alexis Jones, Baylor
Kia Nurse, Connecticut
Jessica January, DePaul
Caitlin Ingle, Drake
Meghan Creighton, Drexel
Lexie Brown, Duke
Makayla Epps, Kentucky
Loren Cagle, Lipscomb
Adrienne Motley, Miami FL
Katelynn Flaherty, Michigan
Ashley Deary, Northwestern
Lindsay Allen, Notre Dame
Kelsey Mitchell, Ohio State
Sydney Wiese, Oregon State
Jessica Kovatch, St. Francis PA
Jackie Kemph, Saint Louis
Alexis Peterson, Syracuse
Brooke McCarty, Texas
Jordin Canada, UCLA
Kelsey Plum, Washington
*Players can play their way on to and off of the list at any point in the 2016-17 season*
About Nancy Lieberman
Nancy "Lady Magic" Lieberman is a true pioneer in women's sports. Her extensive resume includes Assistant Coach of the NBA's Sacramento Kings, head coach of the Texas Legends the D-League affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks, WNBA player and coach, general manager, sports broadcaster for ABC, NBC, ESPN, and FOX Sports Southwest, motivational speaker, and author. In addition, Nancy Lieberman is a Basketball Hall of Famer, two-time Olympian, three-time All American, two-time collegiate national champion and a two-time National Player of the Year at Old Dominion University. She is also the founder of Nancy Lieberman Charities and Basketball Camps. For more information, visit www.nancyliebermancharities.org.
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was invented, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame promotes and preserves the game of basketball at every level – professional, collegiate and high school, for both men and women on the global stage.
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