LOS ANGELES – University of Iowa senior guard, Caitlin Clark, was named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List on Wednesday. Clark won the award last season and was a finalist her sophomore year.
Chosen by a poll of national college basketball experts based on their performances during the 2023-24 season thus far, the list comprises of 25 student-athletes who are front-runners for the sport’s most prestigious honor.
In her senior campaign, she has broken the Big Ten and Iowa all-time records for scoring and assists. She currently leads the country in points (501), points per game (31.3) and assists (121).
This week, Clark broke the record for most Big Ten Player of the Week honors in a career with 24. She has been named B1G POW six times this season, tying her total from a season ago. Additionally, she is the first player in college women’s basketball history to be named AP National Player of the Week twice in the same season. Clark has also garnered honors from the WBCA on four occasions.
She is the first Division-I player to record 3,000+ points, 900+ assists, and 800+ rebounds in a career. Is also the all-time leader in 30+ point performances in men’s and women’s college basketball over the last 25 seasons. (45)
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2024 Wooden Award Women’s Player of the Year presented by Principal. Players not chosen to the preseason or midseason list are still eligible for the Wooden Award™ National Ballot. The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award. Voters will rank in order 10 of those 15 players when voting opens prior to the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during early round games. The Wooden Award All American Team™ will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2024 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Principal following the NCAA Tournament in April.
About the John R. Wooden Award
Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award Program hosts the most prestigious honors in college basketball recognizing The Wooden Award Most Outstanding Player for men and women, The Wooden Award All-America Teams for men and women and the annual selection of the Wooden Award Legend of Coaching recipient. Honorees have proven to their university that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the John R. Wooden Award as set forth by Coach Wooden and the Wooden Award Steering Committee, including making progress towards graduation and maintaining at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA. Previous winners include Larry Bird (’79), Michael Jordan (’84), Tim Duncan (’97), Kevin Durant (’07), Candace Parker (’07; ’08), Maya Moore (’09; ’11), Breanna Stewart (’15; ’16), and last year’s recipients, Caitlin Clark of Iowa and Zach Edey of Purdue.
Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed nearly one million dollars to the universities’ general scholarship fund in the names of the Wooden Award All American recipients and has sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps. Additionally, the John R. Wooden Award partners with the Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) each year to host the Wooden Award Special Olympics Southern California Basketball Tournament. The day-long tournament brings together Special Olympics athletes and Wooden Award All Americans and coaches in attendance. It is hosted at the Los Angeles Athletic Club during the John R. Wooden Award Weekend.
The Legends of Coaching Award presented by Principal will be presented to University of Kentucky coach John Calipari, along with the Wooden Award Men’s and Women’s Players of the Year on April 12, 2024. For up-to-date information on the Wooden Award, please go to www.woodenaward.com and follow the Wooden Award on Facebook at www.facebook.com/woodenaward and @WoodenAward on Twitter and Instagram.