Will Sabrina Ionescu win back-to-back Nancy Lieberman Awards?
A star-studded Nancy Lieberman watchlist will get you psyched for the upcoming hoops season.
What do Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Skylar Diggins (now Diggins-Smith) and Moriah Jefferson all have in common?
These four make up the players who have won the Nancy Lieberman Award, that recognizes the top point guard in the nation, more than once. It’s almost like they strung together some of the most impressive college careers to ever exist and, unsurprisingly, went on to become even more ridiculous as professionals.
Sabrina Ionescu, going into her junior season for Oregon, could very well be added to this elite lineup when all is said and done for the 2018-19 campaign. If she doesn’t declare for the WNBA draft at the end of this season, she’s probably a shoe-in to become a three-time Nancy Lieberman Award winner, too. Sue Bird is the only other player to win three times.
More from NCAA
- Your Day in Women’s Basketball, April 6: Stanford defeats Arizona in a tightly contested matchup to win the national title
- Your Day in Women’s Basketball, March 30: UConn and Baylor deliver a classic battle of storied programs
- Your Day in Women’s Basketball, March 26: Louisville and Texas A&M survive and advance
- Your Day in Women’s Basketball, March 23: Highlights from the first round of the NCAA Tournament
- Your Day in Women’s Basketball, March 16: Tournament bracket released
As a sophomore — yes, a sophomore — Ionescu set the Pac-12 and program records with 298 assists, led the Ducks to the Elite Eight, was a First Team All-American and named the Pac-12 Player of the Year. Not to mention, in two years, she tallied 10 triple doubles to set an all-time NCAA record.
She’s a clear front-runner on the 2019 watchlist that also includes Laia Raventos (Charlotte), Kennedy Leonard (Colorado), Crystal Dangerfield (Connecticut), Kelly Campbell (DePaul), Kyra Lambert (Duke), Taja Cole (Georgia), Kayla Goth (Kansas State), Channise Lewis (Maryland), Kenisha Bell (Minnesota), Paris Kea (North Carolina), Marina Mabrey (Notre Dame), Chastadie Barrs (Lamar), Carmen Grande (Ohio State), Destiny Slocum (Oregon State), Jessica Kovatch (Saint Francis), Tyasha Harris, (South Carolina), Tiana Mangakahia (Syracuse), Evina Westbrook (Tennessee) and Chennedy Carter (Texas A&M).
Although she presumably has her eyes set on a national championship to cap off a head-turning career thus far, there aren’t many things she hasn’t done in just two short years. Ionescu makes basketball look effortless and clearly busted the ‘sophomore slump’ myth last year. And if that was sophomore good, can you imagine junior good?
We’re in for a treat.
The top 10 finalists will be announced in February and the last five in March. The winner will be announced at the Final Four in April.