Dean and Onyenwere led UCLA to its fourth-straight Sweet 16 last season.
Dean, Onyenwere Make 2020 Naismith Trophy Watch List
November 06, 2019 | Women's Basketball
ATLANTA โ Japreece Dean and Michaela Onyenwere appeared on the Women's Citizen Naismith Trophy Watch List, the Atlanta Tipoff Club revealed on Wednesday morning. A total of 50 players made the list, which will be trimmed to 30 in early February. ย
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The competition will then be narrowed down to 10 national semifinalists on March 3, 2020. Following those results, four finalists will be named on March 20, 2020, and the winner of the 2020 Citizen Naismith Trophy for Women's Player of the Year will be announced on April 4, 2020.
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Pac-12 women's basketball again boasts the most candidates on a postseason award watch list, placing 11 out of 50 on the Women's Citizen Naismith Trophy Watch List. This announcement comes a day after the Pac-12 placed a nation's-best nine on the Wooden Award Women's Top 30 Watch List. Five different Pac-12 teams were represented on the Naismith preseason list, the same five that were represented on the Wooden preseason list: UCLA, Arizona, Oregon, Oregon State and Stanford. UCLA was one of four teams that had multiple candidates on the latest watch list.
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Onyenwere and Dean are UCLA's top-returning scorers. Onyenwere averaged 18.3 points in 2018-19 on the way to earning All-Pac-12 honors, while Dean finished third on the team in scoring with over 14 points per contest and shot 92.2 percent from the free throw line, setting a Bruin single-season record. Onyenwere is UCLA's top-returning rebounder (8.5 RPG), and Dean led UCLA in assists last year (4.9 APG).
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2020 Women's Citizen Naismith Trophy Watch List
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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, the most prestigious national honors in all of college and high school basketball. Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, inventor of the game of basketball, the family of Naismith Awards annually recognizes the most outstanding men's and women's college and high school basketball players and coaches. Other Naismith Awards are presented to the men's and women's college basketball defensive players of the year, as well as lifetime achievement awards to basketball officials and outstanding contributors to the game. UCLA's Lew Alcindor received the first Citizen Naismith Trophy in 1969, while the late Anne Donovan (Old Dominion) was the inaugural women's recipient in 1983. Corporate partners of the Naismith Awards include Citizen Watch Company, Jersey Mike's and Werner Ladder.
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ABOUT CITIZEN
Citizen, a pioneer in watchmaking and innovation since 1918, promotes excellence and creativity with a deep-rooted respect for craftsmanship. Citizen advocates "Better Starts Now," searching for and accomplishing goals that cultivate positive change. Driven to create timepieces enjoyed by citizens all over the world, Citizen formed an alliance partnership with Disney in 2018, another powerhouse brand with similar values. With a long-term partnership in place, Citizen participates in activations surrounding the Disney Parks, Marvel, Star Wars and more. Citizen is the Official Timepiece of both Walt Disney World and Disneyland with branded clocks in both theme parks.
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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.
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The competition will then be narrowed down to 10 national semifinalists on March 3, 2020. Following those results, four finalists will be named on March 20, 2020, and the winner of the 2020 Citizen Naismith Trophy for Women's Player of the Year will be announced on April 4, 2020.
ย
Pac-12 women's basketball again boasts the most candidates on a postseason award watch list, placing 11 out of 50 on the Women's Citizen Naismith Trophy Watch List. This announcement comes a day after the Pac-12 placed a nation's-best nine on the Wooden Award Women's Top 30 Watch List. Five different Pac-12 teams were represented on the Naismith preseason list, the same five that were represented on the Wooden preseason list: UCLA, Arizona, Oregon, Oregon State and Stanford. UCLA was one of four teams that had multiple candidates on the latest watch list.
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Onyenwere and Dean are UCLA's top-returning scorers. Onyenwere averaged 18.3 points in 2018-19 on the way to earning All-Pac-12 honors, while Dean finished third on the team in scoring with over 14 points per contest and shot 92.2 percent from the free throw line, setting a Bruin single-season record. Onyenwere is UCLA's top-returning rebounder (8.5 RPG), and Dean led UCLA in assists last year (4.9 APG).
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2020 Women's Citizen Naismith Trophy Watch List
| NAME | CLASS | POSITION | SCHOOL | CONFERENCE |
| Bella Alarie | Sr. | G/F | Princeton | IVY |
| Shakira Austin | So. | F | Maryland | Big Ten |
| Elizabeth Balogun | So. | G | Louisville | ACC |
| Erin Boley | Jr. | F | Oregon | Pac-12 |
| Brittany Brewer | Sr. | F | Texas Tech | Big 12 |
| DiJonai Carrington | Sr. | G | Stanford | Pac-12 |
| Chennedy Carter | Jr. | G | Texas A&M | SEC |
| Kaila Charles | Sr. | G | Maryland | Big Ten |
| Shay Colley | Sr. | G | Michigan State | Big Ten |
| Te'a Cooper | Sr. | G | Baylor | Big 12 |
| Lauren Cox | Sr. | F | Baylor | Big 12 |
| Elissa Cunane | So. | C | NC State | ACC |
| Jordan Danberry | Sr. | G | Mississippi State | SEC |
| Crystal Dangerfield | Sr. | G | UConn | AAC |
| Rennia Davis | Jr. | G/F | Tennessee | SEC |
| Japreece Dean | Sr. | G | UCLA | Pac-12 |
| Chelsea Dungee | Jr. | G | Arkansas | SEC |
| Kiah Gillespie | Sr. | F | FSU | ACC |
| Haley Gorecki | Sr. | G | Duke | ACC |
| Vivian Gray | Jr. | F | Oklahoma State | Big 12 |
| Ae'Rianna Harris | Sr. | F | Purdue | Big Ten |
| Tyasha Harris | Sr. | G | South Carolina | SEC |
| Ruthy Hebard | Sr. | F | Oregon | Pac-12 |
| Naz Hillmon | So. | F | Michigan | Big Ten |
| Joyner Holmes | Sr. | F | Texasย | Big 12 |
| Rhyne Howard | So. | G | Kentucky | SEC |
| Sabrina Ionescu | Sr. | G | Oregon | Pac-12 |
| Stella Johnson | Sr. | G | Rider | MAAC |
| Aislinn Konig | Sr. | G | NC State | ACC |
| Juicy Landrum | Sr. | G | Baylor | Big 12 |
| Tynice Martin | Sr. | G | West Virginia | Big 12 |
| Aari McDonald | Jr. | G | Arizona | Pac-12 |
| Ayana Mitchell | Sr. | F | LSU | SEC |
| Beatrice Mompremier | Sr. | F | Miami | ACC |
| Erica Ogwumike | Sr. | G | Rice | C-USA |
| Michaela Onyenwere | Jr. | F | UCLA | Pac-12 |
| Ali Patberg | Jr. | G | Indiana | Big Ten |
| Mikayla Pivec | Sr. | G | Oregon State | Pac-12 |
| Satou Sabally | Jr. | F | Oregon | Pac-12 |
| Shadeen Samuels | Sr. | F | Seton Hall | BIG EAST |
| Kristin Scott | Jr. | F/C | Iowa State | Big 12 |
| Destiny Slocum | Jr. | G | Oregon State | Pac-12 |
| Amber Smith | Sr. | G | Missouri | SEC |
| Chante Stonewall | Sr. | F | DePaul | BIG EAST |
| Sug Sutton | Sr. | G | Texas | Big 12 |
| Megan Walker | Jr. | F | UConn | AAC |
| Peyton Williams | Sr. | F | Kansas State | Big 12 |
| Kiana Williams | Jr. | G | Stanford | Pac-12 |
| Christyn Williams | So. | G | UConn | AAC |
| Kay Kay Wright | Sr. | G | UCF | AAC |
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, the most prestigious national honors in all of college and high school basketball. Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, inventor of the game of basketball, the family of Naismith Awards annually recognizes the most outstanding men's and women's college and high school basketball players and coaches. Other Naismith Awards are presented to the men's and women's college basketball defensive players of the year, as well as lifetime achievement awards to basketball officials and outstanding contributors to the game. UCLA's Lew Alcindor received the first Citizen Naismith Trophy in 1969, while the late Anne Donovan (Old Dominion) was the inaugural women's recipient in 1983. Corporate partners of the Naismith Awards include Citizen Watch Company, Jersey Mike's and Werner Ladder.
ย
ABOUT CITIZEN
Citizen, a pioneer in watchmaking and innovation since 1918, promotes excellence and creativity with a deep-rooted respect for craftsmanship. Citizen advocates "Better Starts Now," searching for and accomplishing goals that cultivate positive change. Driven to create timepieces enjoyed by citizens all over the world, Citizen formed an alliance partnership with Disney in 2018, another powerhouse brand with similar values. With a long-term partnership in place, Citizen participates in activations surrounding the Disney Parks, Marvel, Star Wars and more. Citizen is the Official Timepiece of both Walt Disney World and Disneyland with branded clocks in both theme parks.
ย
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.
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