Washington State University Athletics
Leger-Walker Named to John R. Wooden Award Top-50 Watch List
November 14, 2023 | Women's Basketball
LOS ANGELES (November 14, 2023) – Washington State Women's Basketball guard Charlisse Leger-Walker picked up more national recognition after being named to the John R. Wooden Award Women's Player of the Year Top-50 Watch List presented by Principal Tuesday.
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.
Leger-Walker, senior from Waikato, New Zealand, is named to the watch list for the third straight season. Through the first three games this season, Leger-Walker is averaging 12.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg and 5.3 apg highlighted by a 26-point performance in the overtime win over Gonzaga last Thursday.
Ledger-Walker earned 2023-24 Preseason All-Pac-12 honors for the third-straight season after an All-America campaign last season, helping WSU to a Pac-12 Conference Tournament Title and its third-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. Leger-Walker was named the Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player, was one of ten finalists for the Anne Meyers Drysdale Award, was an All-Pac-12 selection, an Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honorable mention selection and a Academic All-America Second Team selection. Leger-Walker started all 30 games she appeared in and averaged 17.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 4.1 apg while shooting at a 40.3% clip including 68 made threes.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2024 John R. Wooden Award Women's Player of the Year presented by Principal. 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 2024 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), 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.
Last month Leger-Walker was one of 20 players named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List, the award presented annually to the best shooting guard in NCAA Division I and was recently named to the Naismith Women's College Player of the Year Watch List.
Season tickets for the 2023-24 Washington State women's basketball season are on sale at WSUCougars.com or by calling the WSU Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-GO-COUGS.
Follow the Cougs
For more information on the Washington State women's basketball team, follow @WSUCougarWBB on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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.
Leger-Walker, senior from Waikato, New Zealand, is named to the watch list for the third straight season. Through the first three games this season, Leger-Walker is averaging 12.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg and 5.3 apg highlighted by a 26-point performance in the overtime win over Gonzaga last Thursday.
Ledger-Walker earned 2023-24 Preseason All-Pac-12 honors for the third-straight season after an All-America campaign last season, helping WSU to a Pac-12 Conference Tournament Title and its third-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. Leger-Walker was named the Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player, was one of ten finalists for the Anne Meyers Drysdale Award, was an All-Pac-12 selection, an Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honorable mention selection and a Academic All-America Second Team selection. Leger-Walker started all 30 games she appeared in and averaged 17.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 4.1 apg while shooting at a 40.3% clip including 68 made threes.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2024 John R. Wooden Award Women's Player of the Year presented by Principal. 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 2024 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), 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.
Last month Leger-Walker was one of 20 players named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List, the award presented annually to the best shooting guard in NCAA Division I and was recently named to the Naismith Women's College Player of the Year Watch List.
Season tickets for the 2023-24 Washington State women's basketball season are on sale at WSUCougars.com or by calling the WSU Athletic Ticket Office at 1-800-GO-COUGS.
Follow the Cougs
For more information on the Washington State women's basketball team, follow @WSUCougarWBB on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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