#NaismithWatch: Girl’s All-America Team – March 7, 2016

The Naismith Awards were founded by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to recognize accomplished athletes, coaches, officials and contributors to high school and college basketball. Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, the creator of the game of basketball, the first Naismith trophy was awarded in 1969 to UCLA’s Lew Alcindor, later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Women’s Player of the Year Award was first given to Anne Donovan of Old Dominion University in 1983. Each year the club’s board publishes the “Naismith Watch” list that is made up of the top 50 players to watch in men’s and women’s college basketball. The organization also releases a list of 30 mid-season 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 votes based on player performance throughout the season. In 1987, to honor the nation’s best boy’s and girl’s high school basketball players, the Naismith Trophy Girl’s High School Player of the Year was established.

Erin Boley: Hodgensville, KY – Elizabethtown – Senior – PF – Notre Dame
Lauren Cox: Flower Mound, TX – Flower Mound – Senior – F – Baylor
Crystal Dangerfield: Murfreesbooro, TN – Blackman – Senior – PG – Connecticut
Joyner Holmes: Cedar Hill, TX – Cedar Hill – Senior – PF – Texas
Jackie Young: Princeton, IN – Princeton – Senior – SF – Notre Dame

Sabrina Ionescu: Walnut Creek, CA – Miramonte – Senior – PG
Tori McCoy: Champaign, IL – St. Thomas More – Senior – C – Ohio State
Destiny Slocum: Meridian, ID – Mountain View – Senior – PG – Maryland
Alecia Sutton: St. Louis, MO – Parkway North – Senior – PG – Texas
Megan Walker: Chesterfield, VA – Monacan – Junior – W

Rellah Boothe: Bradenton, FL – IMG Academy – Junior – F
Kaila Charles: Glendale, MD – Riverdale Baptist – Senior – SF – Maryland
Natalie Chou: Plano, TX – Plano West – Senior – SG – Baylor
Tyasha Harris: Noblesville, IN – Heritage Christan – Senior – G
Amber Ramirez: San Antonio, TX – Karen Wagner – Senior – PG – TCU

Jeannie Boehm: Winnetka, IL – New Trier – Senior – F – Harvard
Chassity Carter: Dickson, TN – Dickson County – Senior – W – Vanderbilt
Lindsey Corsaro: Indianapolis, IN – Roncalli – Senior – G – Kentucky
Aquira DeCosta: Stockton, CA – St. Mary’s – Sophomore – F
Nicole Ekhomu: Joilet, IL – Joliet Catholic – Senior – G – Florida State
A’Tyanna Gaulden: Americus, GA – Sumter County Comp – Senior – G Florida State
Kyrse Gondrezick: Benton Harbor, MI – Benton Harbor – Senior – G – Michigan
Jazmine Jones: Tallahassee, FL – Florida A&M – Senior – G – Louisville
Jordan Lewis: Orlando, FL – Lake Highland Prep – Senior – G – Alabama
Nancy Mulkey: Cypress, TX Cypress Woods Senior C Oklahoma
Leaonna Odom: Los Alamitos, CA Chaminade College Prep Senior SF Duke
Jamie Ruden: Rochester, MN – John Marshall – Senior – F – Arizona State
Jenna Staiti: Cumming, GA – West Forsyth – Senior – F/C – Maryland
Evina Westbrook: Salem, OR – South Salem – Junior – W
Anna Wilson: Bellevue, WA – Bellevue – Senior – PG – Stanford

Past HS Winners Include:

1990 – Lisa Leslie – Morningside – Inglewood, CA
1995 – Chamique Holdsclaw – Christ the King – Middle Village, NY
1997 – Tamika Catchings – Duncanville High – Duncanville, TX
1999 – Kara Lawson – West Springfield – Springfield, VA
2000 – Diana Taurasi – Don Lugo High – Chino, CA
2003 – Candace Parker – Naperville Central – Naperville, IL
2004 – Candace Parker – Naperville Central – Naperville, IL
2006 – Maya Moore – Collins Hill – Suwanee, GA
2007 – Maya Moore – Collins Hill – Suwanee, GA
2008 – Elena Delle Donne – Ursuline Academy – Wilmington, DE
2009 – Skylar Diggins – Washington – South Bend, IN
2010 – Chiney Ogwumike – Cypress-Fairbanks – Cypress, TX
2011 – Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis – Mater Dei – Santa Ana, CA
2012 – Breanna Stewart – Cicero North – Syracuse, NY
2013 – Diamond DeShields – Norcross – Norcross, GA
2014 – A’ja Wilson – Heathwood Hall – Columbia, SC
2015 – Katie Lou Samuelson – Mater Dei – Santa Ana, CA

Our PeachStateBasketball.com staff is represented on the following committees:

1) Women’s College Player of the Year Voting Academy: Brandon Clay
2) National Coordinator of High School Voting: Brandon Clay
3) Girl’s HS Player of the Year and All-American Teams Board of Selectors: Rebecca Dyer (Gray), Chris Hansen, Jonathan Hemingway, Keil Moore and Stephen Peck

You can find our thoughts on who is in the discussion for these awards all season here:

Social Media Hashtag: #NaismithWatch

Brandon Clay is the owner of the JumpOffPlus.com International Report, Peach State Basketball, Inc., and ProspectsNation.com. The JumpOffPlus.com is picked up by more than 200 colleges and universities nationwide. He serves as the Executive Camp Director for the Elite Basketball Academy Camps. He serves on the Naismith Trophy Men’s / Women’s College Player of the Year Academy and the HS Boys / Girls All-American Team Board of Selectors. Clay has been involved in the community since 2001. You can reach him at [email protected]