Caitlin Clark Wins Nancy Lieberman Award

For the second straight year, the University of Iowa junior Caitlin Clark has been named the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced on Saturday.

The national award, which is presented annually to the best point guard in women’s basketball, is based on floor leadership, playmaking, and ball-handling skills.

The consensus National Player of the Year is the sixth player since the inception of the award in 2000 to win the honor multiple times (Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Skylar Diggins, Moriah Jefferson, and Sabrina Ionescu).

The most dominant player in women’s college basketball, Clark has already been recognized as the 2023 Naismith Trophy, Wade Trophy, Associated Press, Ann Meyers Drysdale, and The Athletic National Player of the Year, as well as being voted a Big Ten Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.

A unanimous first-team Associated Press and All-Big Ten honoree, Clark also excels in the classroom being voted the 2023 Academic All-American of the Year. Clark is also a finalist for the Dawn Staley Award.

Clark has captivated audiences with her style of play, posting unprecedented numbers of 1,025 points, 319 assists, 268 rebounds, 132 three-pointers, 57 steals, and 20 blocks in leading the Hawkeyes to a historic season.

She is the first Division I women’s basketball player to record more than 1,000 points and 300 assists in the same season. Her 1,025 points are the fourth most in Division I history and most in a single season in Big Ten history.

The West Des Moines, Iowa, native has registered +25 points, +5 rebounds, and +5 assists in 19 games this year (most in Division I) and 41 times in her career; most in NCAA women’s basketball history. Clark, who has made 339 career triples, became Iowa’s all-time 3-point champion with her first made 3-pointer in last night’s contest against South Carolina.

Clark leads the nation’s best offense averaging 27.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 8.6 assists per game. She accounts for 58 percent of Iowa’s offensive output in points and assists.

She leads Division I in several statistical categories including assists per game (8.6), three-pointers made (132), and triple-doubles (5).

She has scored 30 or more points in 13 games, including four 40-point performances. Clark broke Iowa’s junior single-season records in scoring and assists. She is the Big Ten single-season statistical champion in assists (319).

In Iowa’s five NCAA Tournament games in 2023, Clark is averaging 32.2 points, 10.4 assists, 5.8 rebounds, 4.8 three-pointers, and 2.2 steals. Clark has 161 points and 52 assists in this NCAA Tournament. Since 2000, there are only six instances of a player having 150 points and 50 assists in any five-game span; all six of those belong to Clark.

In Iowa’s Elite contest against Louisville, Clark recorded her 11th career triple-double totaling 41 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds. She became the first player in NCAA Tournament history to record a 40-point triple-double.

Her 41 points and eight 3-pointers made are Iowa NCAA Tournament single-game records. She became the first player in NCAA Tournament history with back-to-back 40-point games when she netted 41 points in Iowa’s win over the Gamecocks. Her 41-point outburst is the most points by any player against an undefeated team in NCAA Tournament history (men’s or women’s).

Clark and the second-ranked Iowa women’s basketball team (31-6) will face ninth-ranked LSU (33-2) on Sunday in the national championship at American Airlines Center in Dallas. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. (CT). The game will be televised nationally on ABC and broadcast on the Hawkeye Radio Network.