Tennessee senior guard Jasmine Powell is among 20 players named as candidates to the preseason watch list for the 2023 Nancy Lieberman Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced Monday.
Now in its 24th year, the award recognizes the top point guard in NCAA women’s college basketball. A national committee of senior college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates. To be considered for this prestigious award, candidates must exhibit the leadership, playmaking and ballhandling skills of Class of 1996 Hall-of-Famer Nancy Lieberman.
“The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is honored to celebrate both men and women at all levels of the game,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “The players recognized today on the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List have worked extremely hard to master their skills and have become outstanding examples of why the future is so bright for our game. We look forward to recognizing this year’s quarterbacks with Nancy Lieberman, a Hall of Famer who helped pave the way for today’s female athletes.”
A 5-foot-6 senior who transferred to Tennessee from Minnesota, Powell started 48 of 68 games over three seasons for the Gophers, averaging 28.8 minutes, 12.8 points, 4.4 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals per contest. She was a second-team All-Big Ten honoree in 2020-21 and earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention and All-Young honors in 2019-2020.
A year ago, Powell started 18 of 19 games, averaging 30.2 minutes, 12.4 points, 5.7 assists and 4.4 rebounds while scoring in double figures 12 times. She led the Gophers in minutes and assists per game, and was second in points and rebounds per game. Additionally, Powell had an impressive 108 assists (vs. 59 turnovers), was fourth for Minnesota with 23 three-pointers made and connected on 77.3 percent (75-97) of her free throw attempts.
Fans are encouraged to participate in the Fan Vote, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds beginning Friday, October 21. In late January, the 20-player watch list for the 2023 Nancy Liberman Award will be narrowed to 10 and then in late February to just five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Lieberman and the Hall of Fame selection committee, where a winner will be chosen.
The winner of the 2023 Nancy Lieberman Award will be presented at a date to be determined, along with the other four members of the inaugural Women’s Five. Additional awards being presented include the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award (Shooting Guard), the Cheryl Miller Award (Small Forward), the Katrina McClain Award (Power Forward) and the Lisa Leslie Award (Center), in addition to the Men’s Starting Five.
Previous Nancy Lieberman Award winners include: Caitlin Clark, Iowa (2022), Paige Bueckers, UConn (2021), Sabrina Ionescu, Oregon (2018-20), Skylar Diggins, Notre Dame (2012-13), Connecticut Taurasi, ( 2003-04) and Sue Bird, Connecticut (2000-02).
For more information on the 2023 Nancy Lieberman Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #LiebermanAward on Twitter and Instagram.
2023 Nancy Lieberman PRICE Candidates*
| Destiny Wells | Belmont | Deja Kelly | North Carolina |
| Jenna Annecchiarico | College of Charleston | Olivia Miles | Our Lady |
| McKenna Hofschild | State of Colorado | Radio Gray | Oregon |
| Caitlin Clark | Iowa | Lauren Park-Lane | Seton Hall |
| Emily Ryan | Iowa State | Dyaisha Fair | Syracuse |
| Chrislyn Carr | Louisville | Jasmine Powell | Tennessee |
| Alexis Morris | LSU | Harmon Street | TEXAS |
| Haley Cavinder | Miami | Gina Conti | UCLA |
| Myah Taylor | Mississippi | Makenna Marisa | Penn State |
| Anastasia Hayes | Mississippi St | Jenna Clark | Yale |
*The players can Play Theirs ORDER ABOUT AND turned off of list IN any point IN of 2022-23 the season
About Nancy Lieberman:
Playing hoops on the rough courts of Harlem, Brooklyn-bred Nancy Lieberman learned to play a physical and aggressive style of basketball unlike other women of her time. As a 5’10” point guard, Lieberman was taller than many guards of her era, and her ability to drive to the hoop, dish out assists and grab tough rebounds served her well throughout her career. She compiled over 2,400 points, 1,100 rebounds and 961 assists as she led the Lady Monarchs to a 125-15 record, 1 WNIT title and back-to-back national championships in 1979 and 1980 (102-6 her last 3 years).
Before her illustrious career began at ODU, Nancy made the 1975 USA Pan Am team that won the Gold Medal in Mexico City, she was a HS Jr at Far Rockaway HS at the time. 1976 as a member of the first US women’s Olympics, which won the Silver Medal. Team Lieberman made history by being the youngest Olympian in basketball ever, male or female (which still stands today) Lieberman led Old Dominion University to AIAW national championships in 1979 and 1980. She was named a two-time Wade Trophy winner—a basketball first as the nation’s top female athlete during those two seasons, a 3-time All-American. Lieberman was a two-time Broderick Cup winner as well., Lieberman played professionally in the first women’s pro league in the WBL in 1980-81 and in 1984 in the WABA. Earning WBL MVP honors with the Dallas Diamonds in 1981, she led the team to the 1984 WABA Championship and was league MVP.
In 1986, she signed to be the first woman to play in a professional men’s league in the USBL with the Springfield Fame, and in 1987 with the Long Island Knights. She joined the Harlem Globetrotter World Tour in 1987 with the Washington Generals. 1997 Lieberman made history in the inaugural WNBA season, playing for the Phoenix Mercury at age 39 and in 2008 playing for the Detroit Shock at age 50! Her coaching career began in 1998 as the Head Coach/GM for the Detroit Shock leading the Shock to the playoffs in year 2. In 2011, she was the first female Head Coach hired in the NBA D-League for the Dallas Mavericks Texas Legends affiliate and led them to the playoffs. In 2015, she became only the second woman hired as an NBA assistant coach with the Sacramento Kings. She was named the 2017 Mannie Jackson Basketball’s Human Spirit Award winner for her continued philanthropic work across the country through her charity Nancy Lieberman, changing the lives of underserved youth across the country. In 2018, Nancy Lieberman became the first female Head Coach in a Men’s Professional League with the BIG3 League for team power. Nancy led the Power to a 2018 Championship victory and was named Coach of the Year, becoming the first woman in history to receive the Coach of the Year award. Follow Nancy on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @Nancylieberman and go to nancyliebermancharities.org for more information.
