2021 Wade Trophy winner NaLyssa Smith headlines 2021-22 preseason ‘Wade Watch’ list

ATLANTA (Nov. 9, 2021) — 2021 Wade Trophy winner NaLyssa Smith of Baylor headlines the “Wade Watch” list of candidates for the 2022 Wade Trophy presented to the best player in college women's basketball, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced today.

Smith is joined on the 30-player list by 2021 Coaches’ All-Americans Aliyah Boston of South Carolina, Paige Bueckers of Connecticut, Caitlin Clark of Iowa, Naz Hillmon of Michigan, and Rhyne Howard of Kentucky. Bueckers and Clark were also the 2021 WBCA NCAA Division I Co-Freshman of the Year presented by adidas.

The Wade Trophy — now in its 45th year — is the oldest and most prestigious national player of the year award in college women’s basketball. It is named in honor of the late, legendary Delta State University head coach Lily Margaret Wade, who won three consecutive national championships with the Lady Statesmen. First awarded in 1978 by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), now known as SHAPE America, the Wade Trophy has been presented to the WBCA NCAA Division I National Player of the Year since 2001. The 2021-22 season will be the first in which freshmen are eligible for the honor. However, no freshmen made the list.

Connecticut leads all NCAA Division I institutions with three players on this year’s preseason watch list. Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, South Carolina and defending national champion Stanford each have two.

A full third of the list — 10 players — comes from Big Ten Conference institutions.  The Pac-12 Conference and Southeastern Conference both have five players on the list. The Big East Conference has four. The Atlantic Coast Conference has three. The Big 12 Conference has two.

The Wade Watch list of candidates for the Wade Trophy is composed of players selected by the WBCA NCAA Division I Coaches’ All-America Selection Committee. The committee will review the list midseason to determine if additional players will be added based on their play during the first half of the 2021-22 season.

Here is the complete 2021-22 Preseason Wade Watch list:

About the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association
For 40 years the Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. Founded in 1981, the WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of coaches to those organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. Visit www.WBCA.org for more details about the Association.

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