Springfield, Mass. (Oct. 21, 2022) — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced today the 20 watch-list candidates for the 2023 Lisa Leslie Award. Named after the three-time All-American,1994 National Player of the Year and Class of 2015 Hall of Famer, the annual award in its sixth year recognizes the top centers in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
PRESEASON WATCH LISTS: Point guards | Shooting guards | Small forwards | Power forwards
“Lisa Leslie is one of the greatest basketball players of all time and her achievements at the collegiate, international and professional levels go largely unmatched by anyone in the game,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “The centers that have been named to the Lisa Leslie Award Watch List this year are among the best in the game regardless of position, and we are excited to watch them excel on the court. We thank Lisa for her involvement in this selection process.”
| Player | School |
|---|---|
| Quay Miller | Colorado |
| Kennedy Brown | Duke |
| Mackenzie Holmes | Indiana |
| Monika Czinano | Iowa |
| Josie Williams | Louisville |
| Jessika Carter | Mississippi State |
| Alexis Markowski | Nebraska |
| Lauren Ebo | Notre Dame |
| Sedona Prince | Oregon |
| Lucy Cochrane | Portland |
| Aliyah Boston | South Carolina |
| Francesca Belibi | Stanford |
| Lauren Betts | Stanford |
| Tamari Key | Tennessee |
| Taylor Jones | Texas |
| Ila Lane | UC Santa Barbara |
| Dorka Juhasz | UConn |
| Elizabeth Kitley | Virginia Tech |
| Emma Grothaus | Washington |
| Bella Murekatete | Washington State |
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2022-23 season
2023 MARCH MADNESS Women's NCAA tournament schedule, dates, times
Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds starting today, October 21. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2023 Lisa Leslie Award will be narrowed to 10 and then in late February to just five. In March the five finalists will be presented to Leslie and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee where a winner will be selected.
The winner of the 2023 Lisa Leslie Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Women’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Award (Point Guard), Ann Meyers Drysdale Award (Shooting Guard), Cheryl Miller Award (Small Forward) and the Katrina McClain Award (Power Forward), in addition to the Men’s Starting Five.
RANKINGS: South Carolina, Stanford, Texas lead the preseason AP Top 25 poll
Previous winners of the Lisa Leslie Award are Aliyah Boston, South Carolina (2020-22), Megan Gustafson, Iowa (2019) and A’ja Wilson, South Carolina (2018).
For more information on the 2023 Lisa Leslie Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #LeslieAward on Twitter and Instagram.
