Canada, Billings Named to Women's Citizen Naismith Trophy Watch List

Senior point guard Jordin Canada (3) and Monique Billings (25) were both named to the watch list.

Photo by: Douglas Taylor Photography

Canada, Billings Named to Women's Citizen Naismith Trophy Watch List

November 30, 2017 | Women's Basketball

Competition for the 2018 Citizen Naismith Trophy for Women’s Player of the Year begins with 50 candidates.

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ATLANTA – To continue its momentum into the 50^th celebration season of the Citizen Naismith Trophy, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced 50 women's college basketball players to watch for the Citizen Naismith Player of the Year Trophy. A list of the midseason 30 team will be released on Feb. 12, 2018.

UCLA seniors Jordin Canada and Monique Billings were each selected and were two of seven players from the Pac-12 Conference also on the watch list.

"We are excited to announce 50 talented candidates vying to win the 2018 Women's Citizen Naismith Trophy as we head into our 50^th celebration season," said Eric Oberman, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. "This upcoming season should be one to remember, and the journey to become the women's top player of the year begins today."

Women's Citizen Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List

NAME	CLASS	POSITION	SCHOOL	CONFERENCE
Kristine Anigwe	Jr.	C/F	California	Pac-12
Ariel Atkins	Sr.	G	Texas	Big 12
Kenisha Bell	Jr.	G	Minnesota	Big Ten
Monique Billings	Sr.	F	UCLA	Pac-12
Allazia Blockton	Jr.	G	Marquette	BIG EAST
Lexie Brown	Sr.	G	Duke	ACC
Kalani Brown	Jr.	C	Baylor	Big 12
Tyra Buss	Sr.	G	Indiana	Big Ten
Jordin Canada	Sr.	G	UCLA	Pac-12
Kaila Charles	So.	G	Maryland	Big Ten
Napheesa Collier	Jr.	F	UConn	AAC
Sophie Cunningham	Jr.	G	Missouri	SEC
Crystal Dangerfield	So.	G	UConn	AAC
Asia Durr	Jr.	G	Louisville	ACC
Katelynn Flaherty	Sr.	G	Michigan	Big Ten
Rebecca Greenwell	Sr.	G	Duke	ACC
Marie Gulich	Sr.	C	Oregon State	Pac-12
Megan Gustafson	Jr.	F	Iowa	Big Ten
Linnae Harper	Sr.	G	Ohio State	Big Ten
Ruthy Hebard	So.	F	Oregon	Pac-12
Chanette Hicks	Jr.	G	Virginia Tech	ACC
Myisha Hines-Allen	Sr.	F	Louisville	ACC
Sabrina Ionescu	So.	G	Oregon	Pac-12
Kaylee Jensen	Sr.	C	Oklahoma State	Big 12
Jackie Kemph	Sr.	G	Saint Louis	Atlantic 10
Kitija Laksa	Jr.	F	USF	AAC
Marina Mabrey	Jr.	G	Notre Dame	ACC
Tynice Martin	Jr.	G	West Virginia	Big 12
Stephanie Mavunga	Sr.	F	Ohio State	Big Ten
Brooke McCarty	Sr.	G	Texas	Big 12
Teaira McCowan	Jr.	C	Mississippi State	SEC
Brittany McPhee	Sr.	G	Stanford	Pac-12
Kelsey Mitchell	Sr.	G	Ohio State	Big Ten
Teana Muldrow	Sr.	F	West Virginia	Big 12
Jaime Nared	Sr.	G	Tennessee	SEC
Kia Nurse	Sr.	G	UConn	AAC
Arike Ogunbowale	Jr.	G	Notre Dame	ACC
Caliya Robinson	Jr.	F	Georgia	SEC
Mercedes Russell	Sr.	C	Tennessee	SEC
Katie Lou Samuelson	Jr.	G/F	UConn	AAC
Jessica Shepard	Jr.	F	Notre Dame	ACC
Azura Stevens	Jr.	F	UConn	AAC
Tianna Tarter	Sr.	G	ETSU	SoCon
Shakayla Thomas	Sr.	F	Florida State	ACC
Victoria Vivians	Sr.	G	Mississippi State	SEC
Morgan Williams	Sr.	G	Mississippi State	SEC
Danni Williams	Jr.	G	Texas A&M	SEC
Gabby Williams	Sr.	F	UConn	AAC
A'ja Wilson	Sr.	F	South Carolina	SEC
Jackie Young	So.	G	Notre Dame	ACC

With nine different conferences represented on the list, the players come from across the country. A total of 10 candidates represent the ACC, and the SEC follows closely with nine players on the Watch List. UConn, which has won more Citizen Naismith Trophies (10) than any other school, leads the Watch List with six players, followed by Notre Dame with four candidates and Ohio State and Mississippi State with three candidates apiece. Players who do not make the Watch List are still eligible to be selected for the midseason 30 list.

ABOUT THE ATLANTA TIPOFF CLUB
Founded during the 1956-57 season, the Atlanta Tipoff Club is committed to promoting the game of basketball and recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of those who make the game so exciting. The Atlanta Tipoff Club administers the Naismith Awards, which have become the most prestigious national honors in all of college basketball. Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, inventor of the game of basketball, the Naismith Trophy recognizes the top Men's and Women's College Basketball Players of the Year. Other Naismith Awards are presented to the Men's and Women's College Basketball Coaches of the Year, Boys' and Girls' High School Basketball Players and Coaches of the Year, Basketball Officials and Outstanding Contributors to the game. Celebrating its 50th year by honoring past winners, the Citizen Naismith Trophy was first presented to UCLA's Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) in 1969. Old Dominion's Anne Donovan won the inaugural Women's Citizen Naismith Trophy in 1983.

ABOUT CITIZEN
Citizen, a pioneer in watchmaking and innovative technology since 1918, promotes excellence and creativity with a deep-rooted respect for craftsmanship. Citizen advocates "Better Starts Now," searching for and accomplishing goals that are cause driven. In this respect, Citizen aligns with organizations and personalities that reflect the values of the brand including the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative, Naismith Awards, National Merit Scholarship, and Good360.

For over 40 years, Citizen's Eco-Drive technology has served as the prime example of how the brand is dedicated to making the world and its environment a better place. A simple yet revolutionary concept, Eco-Drive harnesses the power of light from any natural or artificial light source and converts it into energy, eliminating the need for any battery replacement.