SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced candidates for the 2017 Nancy Lieberman Award. Now in its 17th year, 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.
“Nancy Lieberman was and continues to be a trailblazer for women in basketball,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “Before she was an assistant coach in the NBA, Nancy was an outstanding collegiate point guard, much like the tremendous student-athletes on this watch list. With her leadership and vision, we look forward to identifying the top female point guard in the game this season.”
“It’s truly an honor to be the namesake of this award recognizing the best point guards in college basketball,” Lieberman said. “When you look at the list of winners over the past 16 years, we’ve celebrated some extraordinarily talented players and I can’t wait to see who will earn the right to have her name among these greats.”
Previous winners of the Nancy Lieberman Award include Moriah Jefferson, UConn (2015-16), Odyssey Sims, Baylor (2014), Skylar Diggins, Notre Dame (2012-13), Courtney Vandersloot, Gonzaga (2011), Andrea Riley, Oklahoma State (2010), Renee Montgomery, UConn (2009), Kristi Toliver, Maryland (2008), Lindsey Harding,
Duke (2007), Ivory Latta, North Carolina (2006), Temeka Johnson, LSU (2005), Diana Taurasi, UConn (2003-04), and Sue Bird, UConn (2000-02).
For more information on the 2017 Nancy Lieberman Award, log onto www.pointguard.org.
2017 Nancy Lieberman Award Candidates
| Alexis Jones |
|
Baylor |
|
| Kia Nurse |
|
UConn |
|
| Jessica January |
|
DePaul |
|
| Caitlin Ingle |
|
Drake |
|
| Meghan Creighton |
|
Drexel |
|
| Lexie Brown |
|
Duke |
|
| Makayla Epps |
|
Kentucky |
|
| Loren Cagle |
|
Lipscomb |
|
| Adrienne Motley |
|
Miami FL |
|
| Katelynn Flaherty |
|
Michigan |
|
| Ashley Deary |
|
Northwestern |
|
| Lindsay Allen |
|
Notre Dame |
|
| Kelsey Mitchell |
|
Ohio State |
|
| Sydney Wiese |
|
Oregon State |
|
| Jessica Kovatch |
|
Saint Francis PA |
|
| Jackie Kemph |
|
Saint Louis |
|
| Alexis Peterson |
|
Syracuse |
|
| Brooke McCarty |
|
Texas |
|
| Jordan Canada |
|
UCLA |
|
| Kelsey Plum |
|
Washington |
|
|
Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2016-17 season
About Nancy Lieberman: Nancy "Lady Magic" Lieberman is a true pioneer in women's sports. Her extensive resume includes Assistant Coach of the NBA's Sacramento Kings, head coach of the Texas Legends the D-League affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks, WNBA player and coach, general manager, sports broadcaster for ABC, NBC, ESPN, and FOX Sports Southwest, motivational speaker, and author. In addition, Nancy Lieberman is a Basketball Hall of Famer, two-time Olympian, three-time All American, two-time collegiate national champion and a two-time National Player of the Year at Old Dominion University. She is also the founder of Nancy Lieberman Charities and Basketball Camps. For more information, visit www.nancyliebermancharities.org.
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.