Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Springfield, Mass. –The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today the watch list of candidates for the 2014 Nancy Lieberman Award. 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 new host of the Nancy Lieberman Award in October 2013 after the Rotary Club of Detroit managed it for several years.

“We are honored to have the opportunity to award a young athlete that shows the same sort of dedication to the game of basketball as the legendary Nancy Lieberman,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “This award is our chance to recognize some truly extraordinary point guards in women’s college basketball.”

The Hall of Fame appointed a premier Selection Committee made up of top college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers to review the candidates. The list will be narrowed down to a final 20 in February, then final five by March. The Lieberman Award winner will be announced during Final Four weekend activities.

“It’s amazing to be able to have my name associated with some of the best point guards and most well-rounded female athletes at the college level,” Lieberman said. “This is the first year the award is hosted by the Hall of Fame and I think candidates will be even more aware of how prestigious this honor is.”

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).

2014 Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List

Player Name, School Name

Kacie Cassell, University of Akron

Calli Berna, University of Arkansas

Odyssey Sims, Baylor University

Brittany Boyd, University of California

Bria Hartley, University of Connecticut

Senee Shearer, University of Detroit Mercy

 Chelsea Gray, Duke University

Jerica Coley, Florida International University

Yashira Delgado, Florida State University

Damika Martinez, Iona College

Samantha Logic, University of Iowa

Lexie Brown, University of Maryland

Valencia McFarland, University of Mississippi

Ashley Deary, Northwestern University

Tiffany Bias, Oklahoma State University

Fantasia Hilliard, Sacramento State University

Keena Mays, Southern Methodist University

Amber Orrange, Stanford University

Natasha Cloud, Saint Joseph’s University

Jamierra Faulkner, University of Southern Mississippi

Ariel Massengale, University of Tennessee

Jennifer Newsome, University of Tennessee at Martin

Jordan Jones, Texas A&M University

Andola Dortch, University of Toledo

Joanna Harden, Troy University

Jennifer Schlott, Utah State University

Chelsea Douglas, Wake Forest University

Rebecca Henricson, Western Illinois University

Dequesha McClanahan, Winthrop University

*This list is fluid – players can play their way onto and off of the Watch List and the Final 20*

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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