🏀 Taiyanna Jackson Named Candidate for 2023 Lisa Leslie Award
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Kansas senior center Taiyanna Jackson is one of the Top 10 candidates for the 2023 Lisa Leslie Award, as announced by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) on Friday.
Named after Leslie, the three-time All-American, 1994 National Player of the Year and Class of 2015 Hall of Famer, the annual award, in its sixth year, recognizes the top center in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball.
Jackson has had a dominant senior season patrolling the paint for Kansas. She leads the Big 12 in blocked shots (57), field goal percentage (64.9), double-doubles (13) and rebounding (12.4), and also ranks in the Top 10 nationally in each category. She is also KU’s leading scorer, averaging 15.0 points per game, and she has scored in double figures 17 times in 20 games this season. The senior was the only Big 12 player named as one of the top 10 candidates for the Lisa Leslie Award.
From East Chicago, Indiana, Jackson received preseason Honorable Mention All-Big 12 recognition following a junior season that included her being the first Jayhawk named to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team. She set a new single-season school record with 95 blocked shots last season and has added 57 this year to move into third place on KU’s career list.
This is the second midseason honor for Jackson, who was previously named to the 2023 Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year Watch List. She was also named the Big 12 Co-Player of the Week on Jan. 3 following a double-double of 17 points and 19 rebounds in the conference opener at Oklahoma State.
Other candidates for the award include Quay Miller (Colorado), Mackenzie Holmes (Indiana), Monika Czinano (Iowa), Jessika Carter (Mississippi State), Alexis Markowski (Nebraska), Aliyah Boston (South Carolina), Corka Juhasz (UConn), Elizabeth Kitley (Virginia Tech) and Bella Murekatete (Washington State).
Fans can support their favorite players in the remaining rounds by participating in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, starting today on hoophallawards.com. The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.
In March, five finalists will be presented to Leslie and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. 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.
The winner of the 2023 Lisa Leslie Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Women’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Award (Point Guard), Ann Meyers Drysdale Award (Shooting Guard), Cheryl Miller Award (Small Forward) and the Katrina McClain Award (Power Forward).
Kansas returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 4, hosting No. 24 Texas. That game will tip off at 4 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
