UConn women’s basketball preseason watch list tracker

With the start of the new college basketball season nearly upon us, the individual player awards are naming their respective watch lists. With UConn women’s basketball once again expected to be one of the best teams in the country, the Huskies will be well-represented on these watch lists.

Here’s how the selection process works: 20 players are named to the watch list in the preseason. Then in mid-February, that ground is cut in half to 10 players. The five finalists are chosen in March and the winner is announced during the Final Four in April.

• Crystal Dangerfield was named to the Nancy Lieberman Award watch list, given to the nation’s best point guard. Last season, Dangerfield was one of five finalists but it ultimately went to Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu. Four different Huskies has won the award seven times: Sue Bird (2000, 2001), Diana Taurasi (2003, 2004), Renee Montgomery (2009) and Moriah Jefferson (2015, 2016).
• Christyn Williams made the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award watch list. In just its third year of existence, the award goes to the best shooting guard in the country. This is Williams first time on the watch list, although Katie Lou Samuelson was a finalist in 2018 and made the watch list last year.
• Megan Walker is on the watch list for the Cheryl Miller Award, given to the best small forward in the nation. Gabby Williams won the inaugural award back in 2018.
• Olivia Nelson-Ododa earned recognition from the Lisa Leslie Award which goes to the best center in the country.
• Both Dangerfield and Williams earn a spot on the Wooden Award watch list, given to the nation’s best player.
• Those two along with Walker also made the Naismith Award watch list.