TIGER RAG NEWS SERVICES
The LSU women’s basketball trio of Mikaylah Williams, MiLaysia Fulwiley and Jada Williams were named to the Naismith Trophy Women’s College Player of the Year Watch List Top 50 on Thursday.
Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, the first Naismith trophy was awarded in 1969 to UCLA’s Lew Alcindor, later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The trophy has become one of the most prestigious national honors awarded each year to top basketball players in the nation. The Naismith Women’s Player of the Year Award was first given to Anne Donovan of Old Dominion University in 1983.
LSU’s current assistant coach and former player Seimone Augustus is the lone Tiger to earn the Naismith Trophy. She was awarded the trophy in 2005 and 2006.
Mikaylah Williams enters her fourth season at LSU as one of the top returning guards in the country. She is coming off a strong junior campaign after being a part of LSU’s fourth consecutive Sweet 16 appearance. The Bossier City native is a pure scorer with the ability to impact the game from anywhere on the court, offensively and defensively. She was a unanimous selection to the preseason Coaches All-SEC First Team and was also named to the All-SEC First Team as chosen by the media.
Fulwiley, a game-changing 5-10 guard, joined the LSU program last year as one of the nation’s most creative offensive players. She averaged 14.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.8 steals a game last season, earning her second straight SEC Sixth Woman of the Year. Fulwiley was also a preseason All-SEC selection by the coaches and media.
Jada Williams joined the LSU roster after spending her junior season at Iowa State, averaging 15.3 points, 7.7 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game. In 32 games played and started in Ames, Iowa, she earned All-Big 12 First-Team honors and ranked in the top five nationally in both assists (246) and assists per game (7.7). The versatile point guard posted the second-best Iowa State single-season mark for assists (246) ever.
Each year the club’s board publishes the Naismith watch list that is composed of the top 50 players to watch in men’s and women’s college basketball. The organization will release a mid-season list of 30 Naismith candidates. At the end of the season, the Naismith Trophy is awarded to the player of the year in men’s and women’s college basketball.
A national voting academy of leading basketball coaches, administrators and journalists narrows the group down to four finalists based on player performance throughout the season. The final four Naismith finalists will make up the ballot and the player of the year is voted on by the group.
LSU returns to action Thursday night for the second of two exhibition games against Loyola (N.O.) at 7 p.m. inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
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