Caitlin Clark and Lisa Bluder are up for Naismith Awards. How Iowa fans can help them win.
Kate Kealey
The Hawkeyes women's basketball team could take home not one — but two — of the most prestigious awards in college basketball.
University of Iowa women's basketball point guard Caitlin Clark and coach Lisa Bluder are finalists for the 2024 Naismith Awards for player and coach of the year. Fans can vote to help determine the awards' recipients.
If Clark is selected from the four finalists, she will be the first player to win the Naismith Trophy for women's basketball for two consecutive years since 2016. The Naismith Awards are the highest honors award in college basketball.
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Who is Caitlin Clark?
Garnering national attention, Clark is the NCAA women's No.1-ranked player. She has three Big Ten Player of the Year awards under her belt. This season, Clark made history breaking the all-time career scoring record for NCAA Division I teams with a total of 3,685 points. She was also named AP national player of the year award in 2023.
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Clark led the Hawkeyes to the first-ever NCAA women's basketball championship game in 2023, but the team lost to LSU. She's driven up season ticket sales and sold out multiple arenas generating millions for the state.
Who is Lisa Bluder?
In year 24 of coaching for the Hawkeye women's basketball team, Bluder is already a three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year. In 2019 she won the Naismith Coach of the Year Award while taking the Hawkeyes to their first Big Ten Tournament Title since 2001.
Bluder is the NCAA Division I women's basketball's 14th winningest coach with 850 games. She also coached the Hawkeyes to their first National Championship appearance in the program's history.
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What is the Naismith Awards?
Every year there is a "Naismith Watch" list consisting of 50 players in men's and women's college basketball. Halfway through the season the organization also announces a list of 30 candidates for the award. It is named after James Naismith, the creator of basketball, and was first awarded in 1969. The first Naismith Women's Player of the Year Award was given in 1983.
The Naismith Men's and Women's College Coach of the Year Award begins with 25 coaches based on a voting process by the governing board. The Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors votes to narrow the list as the season goes on to eventually decide the winner.
How are the Naismith Awards decided?
A national voting academy of basketball coaches, administrators and journalists decides player of the year finalists based on the athlete's season performance. For the coaches' award, the Atlanta Tipoff Club's board votes to decide the winner. Both awards consider public opinion in the selection process.
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How can I vote for player and coach of the year?
Public opinion makes up 5% of the overall vote. Fans can visit NaismithFanVote.com or follow @NaismithTrophy on Twitter to make their voices heard in the competition. You can vote once every 24 hours in each category.
Voting closes at 4 p.m. central time on April 2.
Who are the other finalists for the Naismith Award?
2024 Naismith Women's Player of the Year finalist
- Cameron Brink - Standford
- Paige Bueckers - UCONN
- JuJu Watkins - USC
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2024 Naismith Women's Coach of the Year finalist:
- Tara VanDerveer -Standford
- Dawn Staley - South Carolina
- Lindsay Gottlieb - USC
Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.