Wade Trophy and Naismith Trophy watch lists led by Oregon
By Kim Doss
The two watch lists include most of the usual suspects from across the country
Games are finally being played, but that doesn’t mean the preseason watch list season is over. Both the Wade Trophy and Naismith Trophy watch lists were announced this week. As has been true throughout the preseason, the top-ranked Oregon Ducks and their fellow members of the Pac-12 were heavily represented.
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The Naismith Trophy
On Wednesday, the Women’s Citizen Naismith Trophy Watch list came out. The largest of the preseason watch lists, it includes 50 of the top players from across the country.
The Pac-12 featured 11 players, four of them from Oregon. Both numbers are the highest for a annconference and a single team.
Oregon’s entries are led by Sabrina Ionescu. She is joined by teammates Satou Sabally, Ruthy Hebard, and Erin Boley.
The rest of the Pac-12 players are Aari McDonald (Arizona), Mikayla Pivec (Oregon State), Destiny Slocum (Oregon State), DiJonai Carrington (Stanford), Kiana Williams (Stanford), Michaela Onyenwere (UCLA), and Japreece Dean (UCLA).
The Big XII is next with 10 players on the list, including three from Baylor. Lauren Cox, Te’a Cooper, and Juicy Landrum represent the defending champs.
Others from the Big XII are Kristin Scott (Iowa State), Peyton Williams (Kansas State), Vivian Gray (Oklahoma State), Joyner Holmes (Texas), Sug Sutton (Texas), Brittany Brewer (Texas Tech), and Tynice Martin (West Virginia).
The SEC is represented by eight: Chelsea Dungee (Arkansas), Rhyne Howard (Kentucky), Ayana Mitchell (LSU), Jordan Danberry (Mississippi State), Amber Smith (Missouri), Tyasha Harris (South Carolina), Rennia Davis (Tennessee), and Chennedy Carter (Texas A&M).
The ACC’s six players are Haley Gorecki (Duke), Kiah Gillespie (Florida State), Elizabeth Balogun (Louisville), Beatrice Mompremier (Miami), Elissa Cunane (NC State), and Aislinn Knight (NC State).
The Big Ten also has six candidates with Ali Patberg (Indiana), Shakira Austin (Maryland), Kaila Charles (Maryland), Naz Hillmon (Michigan), Shay Colley (Michigan State), and Ae’Rianna Harris (Purdue).
The AAC’s honorees include three Connecticut Huskies–Megan Walker, Crystal Dangerfield, and Christyn Williams–and Kay Kay Wright of Central Florida.
DePaul’s Chante Stonewall and Seton Haul’s Shadeen Samuels represent the Big East. Stella Johnson (Rider/MAAC), Bella Alarie (Princeton/Ivy), and Erica Ogwumike (Rice/C-USA) round out the list.
The women’s version of the Naismith Trophy was first presented in 1983 by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. Anne Donovan of Old Dominion was named the inaugural winner.
Last season, Iowa’s Megan Gustafson was awarded the honor.
The Wade Trophy
The sport’s oldest national player of the year award, the Wade Trophy, is awarded by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association to one of the members of the WBCA NCAA Division I Coaches’ All-America Team. The watch list for the award was announced on Thursday.
The 32 players who found their names on the Wade Trophy list included nine from the Pac-12, the most of any conference. Oregon and Connecticut each placed three players in the group, the most for any school.
The nine from the Pac-12 are Aari McDonald (Arizona), Ruthy Hebard (Oregon), Sabrina Ionescu (Oregon), Satou Sabally (Oregon), Mikayla Pivec (Oregon State), Destiny Slocum (Oregon State), DiJonai Carrington (Stanford), Kiana Williams (Stanford), and Michaela Onyenwere (UCLA).
The SEC placed five players in the running: Chelsea Dungee (Arkansas), Rhyne Howard (Kentucky), Tyasha Harris (South Carolina), Rennia Davis (Tennessee), and Chennedy Carter (Texas A&M).
The ACC and Big XII each have four players appearing on the watch list. For the ACC, Duke’s Haley Gorecki, Florida State’s Kiah Gillespie, Miami’s Beatrice Mompremier, and North Carolina’s Janelle Bailey are all in the running.
The Big XII is led by two players from the defending champs at Baylor: Lauren Cox and DiDi Richards. Peyton Willaims (Kansas State) and Tynice Martin (West Virginia) joined them.
All three players from the American Athletic Conference make their homes in Storrs. Connecticut’s Crystal Dangerfield, Megan Walker, and Christyn Williams made the cut from Geno Auriemma’s squad.
The Big Ten also placed three players on the list. Maryland’s Kalia Charles, Minnesota’s Destiny Pitts, and Purdue’s Ae’Rianna Harris make up that group.
The Missouri Valley Conference placed Becca Hittner and Sara Rhine on the list, both of whom represent the Drake Bulldogs. Bella Alarie of Princeton out of the Ivy League completed the list.
Freshmen are not eligible for the Wade Trophy, which was first won by Carol Blazejowski of Montclair State. Last year, Oregon’s Ionescu took home the honor.
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