Rice University Athletics
Mulkey Named to 2020 Lisa Leslie Award Watch List
10/25/2019 12:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Annual honor recognizes the top center in women’s basketball
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced on Friday that Rice University junior center Nancy Mulkey is one of 20 watch list candidates for the 2020 Lisa Leslie Award.
Named after the three-time All-American and 1994 National Player of the Year, the annual award in its third year recognizes the top centers in women's NCAA Division I college basketball.
"As one of the most recognizable faces in the women's game, Lisa Leslie was an accomplished athlete and fan favorite at USC and in the WNBA," said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. "We are very thankful to have her insights and participation as we evaluate this year's Starting Five candidates and we hope the fans will make their opinions heard as well via our new online voting component thanks to Dell Technologies."
Mulkey, who has also been named to the Conference USA Preseason Team, helped the Owls punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament last season by earning MVP honors at the C-USA Championship, in addition to Defensive Player of the Year and All-Defensive Team accolades.
The junior center led all of NCAA Division I in blocked shots per game (3.92) and broke a Rice single-season school record with 94 blocked shots, which ranked seventh in the country. Mulkey was the anchor of a Rice defense that ranked sixth in the NCAA in points allowed (52.9 ppg) and 10th in defensive field goal percentage (34.9). She was also 29th in the NCAA in field goal percentage (55.2), the second-most efficient single-season in Rice history.
Mulkey's recognition comes just three days after teammate Erica Ogwumike was named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List as one of the top shooting guards in the nation.
The Selection Committee for the Lisa Leslie Award is composed of top women's college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers. New to the award this season is Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. By mid-February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2019 Lisa Leslie Award will be narrowed to just 10. In March, five finalists will be presented to Ms. Leslie and the Hall of Fame's selection committee.
The winner of the 2020 Lisa Leslie Center Award will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy's in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 10, 2020, along with the other four members of the Women's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award, the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard Award, the Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award and the Katrina McClain Power Forward Award, in addition to the Men's Starting Five.
Previous winners of the Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award include Megan Gustafson, Iowa (2019) and A'ja Wilson, South Carolina (2018).
For more information on the 2020 Lisa Leslie Award and the latest updates, log onto www.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #LeslieAward on Twitter and Instagram. Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live today, October 25.
2020 Lisa Leslie Award Candidates*
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2019-20 season
Season tickets are available for purchase on RiceOwls.com.
Named after the three-time All-American and 1994 National Player of the Year, the annual award in its third year recognizes the top centers in women's NCAA Division I college basketball.
"As one of the most recognizable faces in the women's game, Lisa Leslie was an accomplished athlete and fan favorite at USC and in the WNBA," said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. "We are very thankful to have her insights and participation as we evaluate this year's Starting Five candidates and we hope the fans will make their opinions heard as well via our new online voting component thanks to Dell Technologies."
Mulkey, who has also been named to the Conference USA Preseason Team, helped the Owls punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament last season by earning MVP honors at the C-USA Championship, in addition to Defensive Player of the Year and All-Defensive Team accolades.
The junior center led all of NCAA Division I in blocked shots per game (3.92) and broke a Rice single-season school record with 94 blocked shots, which ranked seventh in the country. Mulkey was the anchor of a Rice defense that ranked sixth in the NCAA in points allowed (52.9 ppg) and 10th in defensive field goal percentage (34.9). She was also 29th in the NCAA in field goal percentage (55.2), the second-most efficient single-season in Rice history.
Mulkey's recognition comes just three days after teammate Erica Ogwumike was named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List as one of the top shooting guards in the nation.
The Selection Committee for the Lisa Leslie Award is composed of top women's college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers. New to the award this season is Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. By mid-February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2019 Lisa Leslie Award will be narrowed to just 10. In March, five finalists will be presented to Ms. Leslie and the Hall of Fame's selection committee.
The winner of the 2020 Lisa Leslie Center Award will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy's in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 10, 2020, along with the other four members of the Women's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award, the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard Award, the Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award and the Katrina McClain Power Forward Award, in addition to the Men's Starting Five.
Previous winners of the Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award include Megan Gustafson, Iowa (2019) and A'ja Wilson, South Carolina (2018).
For more information on the 2020 Lisa Leslie Award and the latest updates, log onto www.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #LeslieAward on Twitter and Instagram. Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live today, October 25.
2020 Lisa Leslie Award Candidates*
| Bayley Plummer | Appalachian State |
| Queen Egbo | Baylor |
| Olivia Nelson-Ododa | Connecticut |
| Jade Williams | Duke |
| Kristin Scott | Iowa State |
| Kayla Cooper-Williams | James Madison |
| Shakira Austin | Maryland |
| Beatrice Mompremier | Miami |
| Elissa Cunane | NC State |
| Kate Cain | Nebraska |
| Janelle Bailey | North Carolina |
| Eleah Parker | Penn |
| Ae'Rianna Harris | Purdue |
| Nancy Mulkey | Rice |
| Aliyah Boston | South Carolina |
| Maya Dodson | Stanford |
| Charli Collier | Texas |
| Ciera Johnson | Texas A&M |
| Brittany Brewer | Texas Tech |
| Mariella Fasoula | Vanderbilt |
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2019-20 season
Season tickets are available for purchase on RiceOwls.com.
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