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Is another Husky destined for the Naismith Trophy in 2019?

By Carly Grenfell

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 24: Team USA athlete Katie Lou Samuelson celebrates the two year countdown to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo at the Japanese American Community Center on July 24, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for USOC)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 24: Team USA athlete Katie Lou Samuelson celebrates the two year countdown to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo at the Japanese American Community Center on July 24, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for USOC) /
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Geno Auriemma doesn’t just mold great teams, he turns out great players.

The Atlanta Tipoff Club unveiled the 50 NCAA women’s basketball players who are up for the Women’s Citizen Naismith Trophy. Among this list are three Connecticut Huskies, the second-most candidates on the 2019 watch list behind Notre Dame’s five nominees. For UConn, Seniors Napheesa Collier and Katie Lou Samuelson and junior Crystal Dangerfield are in the running for Women’s Player of the Year.

UConn has won more Citizen Naismith Trophies than any other school. Past winners include Rebecca Lobo (1995), Sue Bird (2002), Diana Taurasi (2003, 2004), Maya Moore (2009, 2011), Tina Charles (2010) and Breanna Stewart (2014, 2015, 2016).

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This is a star-studded list of all-time Huskie greats. Not only does this raise the question of whether or not Samuelson, Collier or Dangerfield will join them in 2019 — but it also draws attention to their top dogs Geno Auriemma and Chris Dailey. Their ability to develop players isn’t just raising the bar for women’s hoops, it is the bar.

We can talk about Geno’s 11 national titles, six perfect seasons, 47 conference championships and borderline insane win percentage at the helm. But what is not always explicitly obvious is his ability to take timid college freshmen and mold them into some of the best players in the country — who go on to become some of the best in the world.

Samuelson

  • Averaged 11.0 points per game as a freshman and 17.4 as a junior
  • Three-point field goal percentage jumped from .394 to .474

Dangerfield

  • Started six games as a freshman and every game (34) as a sophomore
  • Field goal percentage went from .403 to .454
  • Free throw percentage went from under 60% to 80%

Collier

  • Started nine games as a freshman and every game (74) since
  • Led the team with 597 total points as a junior last season
  • Averaged less than one assist as a freshman and 3.3 last year

The Huskies, more than any other team, have been a model of consistency over the last 30 years. It’s evident in the box scores, in the win column and in individual accolades like this. To have 10 players from a single program bestowed with this honor is nothing short of remarkable. Now only time will tell if the trend continues in 2019.

The list will be narrowed down to 30 and announced on Feb. 11, 2019. On March 4, the competition will be narrowed down to 10 national semifinalists. The four finalists will be named on March 22, 2019, and the winner of the 2019 Citizen Naismith Trophy for Women’s Player of the Year will be announced on April 6, 2019.

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