Defending national champion LSU places 3 on the 16-player list
ATLANTA (Nov. 2, 2023) — 2023 Wade Trophy winner Caitlin Clark of Iowa headlines the “Wade Watch” list of candidates for the 2024 Wade Trophy presented to the best player in college women’s basketball, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced today.
Clark is joined on the 16-player list by fellow 2023 WBCA Coaches’ All-Americans Cameron Brink of Stanford, Mackenzie Holmes of Indiana, Elizabeth Kitley of Virginia Tech, Alissa Pilli of Utah and Angel Reese of LSU. Ta’Niya Latson of Florida State, the 2023 WBCA NCAA Division I Freshman of the Year presented by adidas, also made the watch list.
LSU leads all NCAA Division I institutions with three players each on this year’s preseason watch list. Connecticut and Virginia Tech both have two. The SEC leads all conferences with five players on the list, followed by the ACC with four.
Here is the complete 2023-24 Preseason Wade Watch list:
| Name | Institution | Position | Height | Current Year |
| Georgia Amoore | Virginia Tech | G | 5-6 | Senior |
| Cameron Brink | Stanford | F | 6-4 | Senior |
| Paige Bueckers | Connecticut | G | 6-0 | RS-Junior |
| Kamilla Cardoso | South Carolina | C | 6-7 | Senior |
| Caitlin Clark | Iowa | G | 6-0 | Senior |
| Aaliyah Edwards | Connecticut | F | 6-3 | Senior |
| Rori Harmon | Texas | G | 5-6 | Junior |
| Mackenzie Holmes | Indiana | F | 6-3 | Grad |
| Rickea Jackson | Tennessee | F | 6-2 | 5th Year |
| Elizabeth Kitley | Virginia Tech | C | 6-6 | Grad |
| Ta’Niya Latson | Florida State | G | 5-8 | Soph |
| Olivia Miles | Notre Dame | G | 5-10 | Junior |
| Aneesah Morrow | LSU | G | 6-1 | Junior |
| Alissa Pili | Utah | G | 5-10 | Senior |
| Angel Reese | LSU | F | 6-3 | Junior |
| Hailey Van Lith | LSU | G | 5-7 | Grad |
The Wade Trophy — now in its 47th 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 Player of the Year since 2001.
The Wade Watch list of candidates for the Wade Trophy is composed of players selected by the WBCA NCAA Division I Awards 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 2023-24 season. The winner of the award will be announced in April during the 2024 WBCA Convention in Cleveland — site of the 2024 NCAA Women’s Final Four.
About the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association
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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