170,000 Fan Ballots Cast via Starting Five Fan Voting Presented by Dell Technologies
Bristol, Conn. – During ESPN’s coverage of the NCAA Women’s Final Four in Minneapolis, the Basketball Hall of Fame and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association revealed this year’s five positional award winners, also known as the Women’s Naismith Starting Five. The winners were determined by a combination of input from committees composed of top basketball personnel and over 170,000 votes cast over the course of the season via Starting Five Fan Voting Presented by Dell Technologies.
In addition to the esteemed Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award which has been presented since 2000, the Basketball Hall of Fame established four additional awards in the 2017-18 season: the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard Award, the Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award, the Katrina McClain Power Forward Award and the Lisa Leslie Center Award. Each award’s namesake headed her own selection committee to evaluate candidates throughout the 2021-22 season.
The Basketball Hall of Fame is proud to celebrate the best players in the game, both men and women at every level,” said John Doleva, President of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “We have been thrilled to watch the evolution of the women’s game and the popularity that has come along with it. It’s been our distinct pleasure to work closely with the namesakes of each award, as they have shown great passion and dedication in the selection process. Today we are honored to bring legends of the game together with the game’s future stars with the 2022 Women’s Naismith Starting Five.”
2021-22 Women’s Naismith Starting Five:
Caitlin Clark (Iowa, So.) – Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Award
27.0 pts/gm, 8.0 reb/gm, 8.0 ast/gm, 45.2 fgt%,
Christyn Williams (UConn, Sr.) – Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Award
14.7 pts/gm, 3.5 reb/gm, 2.3 ast/gm, 1.5 stl/gm
Ashley Joens (Iowa St., Sr.) – Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Award
20.3 pts/gm, 9.5 reb/gm, 2.0 ast/gm, 85.2 ft%
NaLyssa Smith (Baylor, Sr.) – Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Award
22.1 pts/gm, 11.5 reb/gm, 1.1 blk/gm, 55.0 fg%
Aliyah Boston (South Carolina, Jr.) – Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award
16.8 pts/gm, 12.2 reb/gm, 1.9 ast/gm, 2.5 blk/gm
A complete list of finalists can be found below. For more information, visit www.HoophallAwards.com or follow @hoophall on Instagram and Twitter.
2022 Women’s Naismith Starting Five Finalists
Nancy Lieberman Award Finalists
Veronica Burton (Northwestern)
Caitlin Clark (Iowa)
Destanni Henderson (South Carolina)
Olivia Miles (Notre Dame)
Khayla Pointer (LSU)
Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Finalists
Kierstan Bell (Florida Gulf Coast)
Taylor Mikesell (Ohio State)
Sonya Morris (DePaul)
Taylor Robertson (Oklahoma)
Christyn Williams (UConn)
Cheryl Miller Award Finalists
Emily Engstler (Louisville)
Rhyne Howard (Kentucky)
Ashley Joens (Iowa State)
Haley Jones (Stanford)
Madi Williams (Oklahoma)
Katrina McClain Award Finalists
Cameron Brink (Stanford)
Naz Hillmon (Michigan)
Aneesah Morrow (DePaul)
Angel Reese (Maryland)
NaLyssa Smith (Baylor)
Lisa Leslie Award Finalists
Aliyah Boston (South Carolina)
Elissa Cunane (NC State)
Tamari Key (Tennessee)
Elizabeth Kitley (Virginia Tech)
Ayoka Lee (Kansas State)
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.