SPRINGFIELD, MASS. – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced Friday the five finalists for the 2018 Lisa Leslie Award. Tennessee senior Mercedes Russell is among that elite group.
Named after the three-time All-American, 1994 National Player of the Year and a 2015 inductee of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the annual award in its inaugural year recognizes the top centers in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball.
The other four finalists for the 2018 Lisa Leslie Award are Kalani Brown (Baylor), Teaira McCowan (Mississippi St.), A’ja Wilson (South Carolina) and Monique Billings (UCLA).
Announced as an All-SEC First Team selection on Tuesday, the 6-foot-6 native of Springfield, Ore., ranks second on the team in scoring at 15.4 points per contest and leads the Lady Vols in rebound average (9.3), field goal percentage (.600) and blocked shots (42). She has hit 83 of 121 free throw attempts this season, forging a career-best .686 percentage. Against Auburn on Thursday in the SEC Tournament, Russell tied an SEC Tournament record by hitting 10 of 10 charity tosses.
Earlier this season, Russell became only the sixth woman in UT history to record 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds, joining Chamique Holdsclaw, Glory Johnson, Bashaara Graves, Sheila Frost and Tamika Catchings in that club. She also is among the best Lady Vols in double-double production in a career, tying with Candace Parker for second all-time with 45 career performances of 10 or more points and rebounds. Only Chamique Holdsclaw has more (57).
After setting a UT junior record in 2016-17 with 19 double-doubles, Russell has claimed the senior record as well, tallying 15 thus far. Russell, who ranks No. 3 in UT history with 1,061 rebounds and No. 6 with 193 blocks, stands No. 19 all-time at Tennessee in scoring with 1,554 points. She has helped Tennessee forge a 125-44 overall record and 57-23 league mark, leading UT to five NCAA Tournament appearances, a pair of Elite Eight finishes, a 2014 SEC Tournament Championship and a 2015 SEC regular season crown.
A national committee of top women’s college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers narrowed the original award watch list of 20 players to 10 candidates and now just five finalists. This month, the five finalists will be presented to Ms. Leslie and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2018 Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award will be determined by a combination of fan votes and input from the Basketball Hall of Fame’s selection committee. Fans are encouraged to visit www.HoophallAwards.com to cast their votes March 2-23.
“Through hard work and perseverance, the game of basketball has afforded me many opportunities over the years,” said Lisa Leslie. “The young women selected as finalists for this award have shown remarkable dedication to the game and honing their craft. I applaud them all and I look forward to recognizing our winner at the Final Four.”
The winner of the 2018 Lisa Leslie Center 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. The award will then be presented to the student-athlete on Saturday, March 31 at a new awards reception presented by the Basketball Hall of Fame and the WBCA and held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Each award will be presented by its respective Hall of Famer making this brunch a star-studded event.
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, 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.
For more information on the 2018 Lisa Leslie Award, visit www.hoophallawards.com.
About Lisa Leslie: Widely regarded as the best player in the country during her senior year of high school, Leslie decided to play basketball close to home at University of Southern California. While at USC, she set Pac-10 records for scoring, rebounding and blocked shots, earning All-Pac-10 honors each of her four seasons. In 1991, she was named national freshman of the year and went on to earn All-American Honors the following three seasons. In her senior season, she won multiple national player of the year awards, including the Naismith College Player of the Year and the WBCA Player of the Year. In the summer of 1997, the Women’s National Basketball Association was launched and with it, Lisa Leslie became a household name. The Los Angeles Sparks landed the hometown star, who would go on to help them win two world championships. As an eight-time All-Star and three-time MVP, Leslie became the face of the WNBA. In 2002, she became the first player to dunk in a WNBA game. Leslie retired as the all-time leading rebounder in WNBA history and was an eight-time First Team All-WNBA performer. Internationally, Leslie won four gold medals in Olympic competition. Since retiring from professional play, Leslie has worked as a sports commentator and analyst for several networks, while exploring fashion modeling and acting as well.
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