Jones and Van Lith Named to Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 Watch List
November 15, 2022 | Women's Basketball
The pair were also named to the preseason All-ACC team and Naismith Award Preseason Watch List
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The awards continue to pile in for a pair of Louisville women's basketball players as Morgan Jones and Hailey Van Lith were both named to Wooden Award Women's Preseason Top 50 Watch List Tuesday afternoon. Chosen by a preseason poll of national college basketball experts, the list is comprised of 50 student-athletes who are the early front-runners for the most prestigious honors in college basketball, the Wooden Award All American Team™ and Most Outstanding Player Award.
Jones and Van Lith have already been named to the Preseason All-ACC team, the Naismith Award Preseason Women's Watch List and were each named on their positional watch list (Van Lith - Drysdale Award; Jones - Miller Award) prior to the season starting last week. Just three games into the season, both Jones and Van Lith have made big impacts on the Cardinals 3-0 start to the year.
Van Lith has tallied 20 or more points in two of the three games, including 28 points in the opener against Cincinnati. It was the fourth most points scored by a Cardinal in a season opener in program history and the second-most points by an ACC player in the season-opening games. Later in the week against IUPUI, she scored 12 points and led the team with 10 rebounds for her second career double-double. In the road win over Belmont, she scored a game-high 25 points and has tallied 20 or more points in eight of her last 12 games.
Jones was all over the box score in her Louisville debut against Cincinnati. She was one of three to score in double figures with 14 points and added four rebounds, three blocks, three steals and two assists. It was the first time in her career that she had three blocks and three steals in the same game. She played just 19 minutes against IUPUI but recorded nine points, seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal in the home win. Through the first three games, she leads the team with six blocks, third in rebounds (4.3) and fourth in scoring (8.3).
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2023 John R. Wooden Award Women's Player of the Year presented by Wendy's. Players not chosen to the preseason list are still eligible for the Wooden Award™ midseason list, late season list, and the 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. Nearly 1,000 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 2023 John R. Wooden Award will be presented in Los Angeles 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), Chiney Ogwumike ('14), and last year's recipients, Aliyah Boston of South Carolina and Oscar Tshiebwe of Kentucky.
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.
Jones and Van Lith have already been named to the Preseason All-ACC team, the Naismith Award Preseason Women's Watch List and were each named on their positional watch list (Van Lith - Drysdale Award; Jones - Miller Award) prior to the season starting last week. Just three games into the season, both Jones and Van Lith have made big impacts on the Cardinals 3-0 start to the year.
Van Lith has tallied 20 or more points in two of the three games, including 28 points in the opener against Cincinnati. It was the fourth most points scored by a Cardinal in a season opener in program history and the second-most points by an ACC player in the season-opening games. Later in the week against IUPUI, she scored 12 points and led the team with 10 rebounds for her second career double-double. In the road win over Belmont, she scored a game-high 25 points and has tallied 20 or more points in eight of her last 12 games.
Jones was all over the box score in her Louisville debut against Cincinnati. She was one of three to score in double figures with 14 points and added four rebounds, three blocks, three steals and two assists. It was the first time in her career that she had three blocks and three steals in the same game. She played just 19 minutes against IUPUI but recorded nine points, seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal in the home win. Through the first three games, she leads the team with six blocks, third in rebounds (4.3) and fourth in scoring (8.3).
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2023 John R. Wooden Award Women's Player of the Year presented by Wendy's. Players not chosen to the preseason list are still eligible for the Wooden Award™ midseason list, late season list, and the 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. Nearly 1,000 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 2023 John R. Wooden Award will be presented in Los Angeles 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), Chiney Ogwumike ('14), and last year's recipients, Aliyah Boston of South Carolina and Oscar Tshiebwe of Kentucky.
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.
Players Mentioned
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