ATLANTA (March 22, 2022) – Today, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced the men’s and women’s finalists for the 2022 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy for Player of the Year. The women’s finalists include South Carolina junior forward Aliyah Boston, sophomore guard Caitlin Clark (Iowa), Stanford’s junior guard Haley Jones–the 2019 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Girl’s High School Player of the Year– and senior forward NaLyssa Smith (Baylor). The top players on the men’s side are senior guard Ochai Agbaji (Kansas), Wisconsin sophomore guard Johnny Davis, sophomore forward Keegan Murray (Iowa) and Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe, a junior forward.
The finalists for each category emerged from a group of 10 semifinalists and were selected by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s national voting academy, comprised of leading journalists from around the country, current and former head coaches, former award winners and conference commissioners, all of whom base their selections on outstanding on-court performances during the 2021-22 regular college basketball season.
“All eight candidates have earned the honor of becoming a 2022 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy finalist through the tenacity and leadership each demonstrated throughout the season,” said Eric Oberman, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. “We appreciate and congratulate them on their hard work; our voters will have a tremendous challenge selecting the winners.”
LIVE UPDATES: Follow the entire DI women's basketball tournament
Fans will be able to support their favorite finalist by visiting between Tuesday, March 22-Tuesday, March 29, to cast their ballots; the fan vote will account for five percent of the overall final vote. Fans may also vote by visiting the and Twitter pages between March 22-29 to vote for their favorite men’s and women’s player. The 2022 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy for Women’s Player of the Year will be awarded Wednesday, March 30, during the Women’s Final Four in Minneapolis. The men’s ceremony to award the 2022 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy for Men’s Player of the Year will take place Sunday, April 3, at the Naismith Awards Brunch during the Final Four in New Orleans.
About the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Women’s Player of the Year Finalists:
Aliyah Boston, South Carolina
- Earned her first 2022 SEC Player of the Year
- Named SEC Defensive Player of the Year for the third consecutive season
- Has an SEC-record streak of 24 consecutive double-doubles which is the longest active streak in the nation
- Only player in the top 30 in both offensive (9th) and defensive (2nd) efficiency rating
Caitlin Clark, Iowa
- Became the first women’ player to lead the country in both scoring and assists
- She averaged 27.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.9 assists to help Iowa win both the Big Ten regular season and tournament championships
- Named the Big Ten Player of the Year
- Selected as a First-Team AP All-American
Haley Jones, Stanford
- One of three Power 5 players to average 12.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game
- Named Pac-12 Player of the Year by the coaches
- She has scored in double figures 21 times this season while totaling eight double-doubles, along with the first triple-double at Stanford in nearly two decades
- Named the Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player
NaLyssa Smith, Baylor
- Led Baylor to its 13th Big 12 regular-season title and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament
- Named the unanimous Big 12 Player of the Year
- Averaged 22.5 PPG, 11.5 RPG, 1.1 APG, 1.2 BPG during the regular season
- Her 24 double-doubles this season set a Baylor record and is good for third in the country
About the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Men’s Player of the Year Finalists:
Ochai Agbaji, Kansas
- Currently averages 19.3 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.6 APG for No. 3 Kansas (30-6)
- Averaged 19.7 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.6 APG during the regular season
- Named Big 12 Player of the Year, Big 12 Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament and All-Big 12 First Team selection
- Led the Big 12 in scoring with 19.3 PPG, ranking 33rd nationally
Johnny Davis, Wisconsin
- Averaged 19.7 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 2.2 APG during the regular season
- Led the Badgers in rebounding (8.2 RPG)
- Named Big Ten Player of the Year
Keegan Murray, Iowa
- Averaged 23.6 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 2.0 BPG, 1.5 APG, 1.3 STLS during the regular season
- Ranks 1st in the country in Player Efficiency Rating (38.2)
- His 23.6 points per game average is tops among players from a major conference
- The only player nationally to average 23+ points, 8+ rebounds, and 2+ blocks during the regular season and one of three players from a major conference with those averages over the last decade
- Set the single-season Big Ten Tournament record for most points (103) and field goals made (38), and tied the 3-point field goals made record in a Big Ten Tournament game by sinking eight against Indiana
- Established a new school single-season scoring record (822 points), becoming just the eighth men’s basketball player in Big Ten history with over 800 points in a season
WHY THEY'RE THERE: 1 reason why each men's Sweet 16 team has made it this far
Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky
- Averaged 17.0 PPG, 15.3 RPG, 1.6 BPG, 1.8 SPG during the regular season
- Named SEC Player of the Year
- Broke the UK record for double-doubles in a season with 28
- Averaged 15.1 rebounds per game - the highest in a season since 1979
- Broke the all-time single-game record for rebounds in Rupp Arena with 28
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