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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association announced today the 10 candidates for the 2018 Nancy Lieberman Award and UCLA senior point guard Jordin Canada has made the list. Now in its 19th year, the award recognizes the top point guard in women's NCAA Division I college basketball. Candidates exhibit the floor leadership, play-making and ball-handling skills of 1996 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Nancy Lieberman.
"For many years, the Basketball Hall of Fame has been proud to present the Nancy Lieberman Award to the top female point guard in the game," said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. "This week, we'll announce not just the top ten candidates for this award, but four more positional awards as well. We're excited to recognize these female student-athletes who have worked tirelessly to achieve their goals and follow the trail blazed by Ms. Lieberman."
The Selection Committee for the Nancy Lieberman Award is composed of top women's college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers. In March, five finalists will be presented to Ms. Lieberman and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. Fans will also have the opportunity to vote for their favorite finalists to determine the Naismith Starting 5 by clicking here.
The winner of the 2018 Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award will be announced during ESPN2's telecast of the national semifinal games in the 2018 NCAA Women's Final Four in Columbus, Ohio on Friday, March 30. Additional awards being presented include the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard Award, the Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award, the Katrina McClain Power Forward Award and the Lisa Leslie Center Award, as well as the Wade Trophy, the sport's oldest and most prestigious national player of the year award which is presented annually by the WBCA's community of coaches to the best player in college women's basketball.
Previous winners of the Nancy Lieberman Award include Kelsey Plum, Washington (2017), Moriah Jefferson, Connecticut (2015-16), Odyssey Sims, Baylor (2014), Skylar Diggins, Notre Dame (2012-13), Courtney Vandersloot, Gonzaga (2011), Andrea Riley, Oklahoma State (2010), Renee Montgomery, Connecticut (2009), Kristi Toliver, Maryland, (2008), Lindsey Harding, Duke (2007), Ivory Latta, North Carolina (2006), Temeka Johnson, LSU (2005), Diana Taurasi, Connecticut (2003-04) and Sue Bird, Connecticut (2000-02).
For more information on the 2018 Nancy Lieberman Award, click here.
2018 Nancy Lieberman Award Candidates
| Kia Nurse | Connecticut |
| Lexie Brown | Duke |
| AJ Alix | Florida St. |
| Katelynn Flaherty | Michigan |
| Kelsey Mitchell | Ohio St. |
| Sabrina Ionescu | Oregon |
| Jessica Kovatch | St. Francis (PA) |
| Tiana Mangakahia | Syracuse |
| Brooke McCarty | Texas |
| Jordin Canada | UCLA |
About Nancy Lieberman: Playing hoops on the rough-and-tumble Harlem courts, Brooklyn-bred Nancy Lieberman learned to play a physical, aggressive style of basketball unlike other women of her time. As a 5'10" point guard, Lieberman was taller than many of the guards of her era, and her ability to drive to the hoop, dish out assists, and grab hard-fought rebounds served her well during her stellar career. Lieberman led Old Dominion University to back-to-back AIAW national championships in 1979 and 1980. In 1986, she signed to be the first women to play in a men's professional league in the USBL with the Springfield Fame and in 1987 with the Long Island Knights. She was twice named as the Wade Trophy winner — a basketball first. As the nation's top female athlete during those two seasons, Lieberman was the two-time winner of the Broderick Cup as well. Lieberman played professionally in the Women's Professional Basketball League, Women's American Basketball Association, United States Basketball League, Women's National Basketball Association and with the Washington Generals. Earning WBL MVP honors with the Dallas Diamonds in 1981, she led the team to the 1984 WABA championship and was league MVP. In 2011, she was the first women Head Coach hired in the NBA D-League for the Dallas Mavericks affiliate the Texas Legends. In 2015, she became only the second women hired as an Assistant Coach in the NBA with the Sacramento Kinds. She was named a recipient of the 2017 Mannie Jackson Basketball's Human Spirit Award for her on-going philanthropic work across the country through her Nancy Lieberman Charities, changing the lives of underserved youth across the country.