CLEVELAND (April 3, 2024) – The Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today that Iowa’s Caitlin Clark has won the 2024 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy for the second consecutive year, honoring her as the most outstanding player in women’s college basketball.
South Carolina’s Dawn Staley was named the Werner Ladder Women’s Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year and the fourth time in the last five years. Stanford’s Cameron Brink earned the Naismith’s Women’s Defensive Player of the Year.
“The Naismith Awards symbolize the highest level of excellence in collegiate basketball. I extend our congratulations to Caitlin, Dawn, and Cameron for these well-deserved honors,” said Eric Oberman, President of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. Their continued outstanding performances throughout the years and this season are truly remarkable, and we take great pride in acknowledging their extraordinary achievements.”
Clark becomes the eighth women’s player to win the award in consecutive seasons and the 10th overall to earn the award multiple times. She is the first to do so since UConn’s Breanna Stewart won in three straight years from 2014-16. The other finalists included Stanford’s Cameron Brink, UConn’s Paige Bueckers and Southern California’s JuJu Watkins.
An Iowa player has won this award for the third time in the last six seasons as Megan Gustafson was the winner in 2019. Iowa coach Lisa Bluder, a finalist in 2024, won that season’s Werner Ladder Coach of the Year award.
About the 2024 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Women’s Player of the Year Winner Caitlin Clark:
- Consensus first-team All-America earned her third consecutive Big Ten Player of the Year award.
- Earlier this season, became the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer in college basketball history (3,900 career points entering the Final Four).
- She leads the nation in scoring (32.0) and assists (9.0) per game.
- Enters the Final Four with an NCAA single-season scoring record of 1,183 points.
- This year became the first Division I player to record over 1,000 points in consecutive seasons.
- The first Iowa player in program history to be named First Team All-Big Ten in four straight years of competition.
- Led Iowa to three consecutive Big Ten Championships for the first time in program history.
“To be a two-time recipient of the Naismith Trophy is truly humbling,” said Clark. “Being selected as this season’s honoree is truly special with the number of talented and skilled players across the country. I want thank my family, coaches, and teammates who helped me get to this point.”
“On behalf of Jersey Mike’s, I congratulate Caitlin for her well-deserved acknowledgment as the 2024 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Women’s Player of the Year,” said Jeff Hemschoot, Jersey Mike’s Vice President of Marketing. “Her performance throughout the season has captivated audiences, and her triumph among such formidable finalists underscores the exceptional caliber of her basketball prowess and the remarkable nature of her season.”
Staley becomes the first coach in award history to win the Werner Ladder Women’s Coach of the Year in three consecutive seasons. She also won in 2020, and her four wins are now third on the award’s all-time list, trailing only UConn’s Geno Auriemma (eight) and Tennessee’s Pat Summitt (five). Staley won the award over finalists Bluder, Lindsay Gottlieb (Southern California) and Tara VanDerveer (Stanford).
About 2024 Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s Coach of the Year Dawn Staley:
- She led the Gamecocks into the Final Four undefeated for the second consecutive season. This year is the fourth consecutive appearance in the Final Four for South Carolina.
- Named SEC Coach of the Year for the seventh time in her career and the third consecutive year.
- Guided South Carolina to its third consecutive SEC regular season and fourth conference tournament title in five seasons.
- She led the team to its third consecutive overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and the school’s 10th straight appearance in the tournament’s Sweet 16.
“Being named the Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year is always an honor and always the work of every coach, every person on our staff,” said Staley. “When we first brought this team together last summer, I don’t think any of our staff would have predicted the position this particular group of young women have put us in this week. But we all stuck with it; we adapted to what our players were capable of at each step in their development. And the result has been one of the most fun seasons I’ve had in my coaching career, and I credit our players for that, for showing us that there’s more than one path toward a goal.”
“Werner takes pride in acknowledging Coach Staley’s exceptional achievements, presenting her with the Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s Coach of the Year award for the fourth time in five years,” said Stacy Gardella, Head of Global Marketing Technology & Operations at WernerCo. “Her consistent excellence mirrors her exceptional coaching expertise. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to her and all the distinguished finalists for their outstanding seasons.”
Stanford’s Cameron Brink is the first Stanford player to win the Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year, which was first awarded in 2018. She is the third Cardinal player to win a Naismith Award as Kate Starbird (1997) and Jennifer Azzi (1990) were named Player of the Year. Brink, who was a finalist for the award in 2023, was selected for the honor over finalists Kamilla Cardoso (South Carolina), Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame) and Celeste Taylor (Ohio State).
About 2024 Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year Cameron Brink:
- The Pac-12 Player and Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the 20th conference Player of the Year from Stanford.
- She is one of only two players in Pac-12 history named conference Defensive Player of the Year three times (Chiney Ogwumike, Stanford).
- Three-time All-Pac-12 selection.
- She is the only player in the country to average at least 17 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks per game.
- Led the nation in blocks (3.6 bpg) and is third in rebounding at 11.9 per game.
- She became the 17th Division I player to register 400 career blocks during the season.
- The first college player with 500 points, 300 rebounds and 100 blocks in consecutive seasons since Breanna Stewart did so from 2014-16.
“It’s an incredible honor to be named the 2024 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year,” said Brink. “It may be an individual award, but it’s a testament to all the people who have poured into me, not only this season but throughout my career at Stanford – my family, coaches, teammates, and friends. I wouldn’t be where I am without them, and I am extremely grateful for all their love and support.”
WERNER LADDER NAISMITH COACH OF THE YEAR | JERSEY MIKE’S NAISMITH PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Clark and Staley were chosen by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s national voting academy, comprised of leading media members from around the country, current and former head coaches, former award winners and conference commissioners, all of whom based their selections on outstanding on-court performances during the 2023-24 college basketball season. Additionally, fans had the opportunity to cast a ballot through naismithfanvote.com and on the @NaismithTrophy, NCAA @MarchMadnessWBB and @MarchMadnessMBB Twitter pages, which accounted for 5% of the overall vote. The vote was tabulated and verified by the Atlanta team of J.S. Held, a global consulting firm.
The Player of the Year winner was presented with the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy, which is produced and provided by Herff Jones, leading provider of graduation and educational products and services designed to inspire achievement and create memorable experiences for students. A replica trophy will be donated by Herff Jones to the winner’s university. A replica trophy will also be donated to South Carolina in honor of Staley’s accomplishment.
NAISMITH DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
The Atlanta Tipoff Club’s board of selectors, comprised of leading journalists from around the country, selected Brink based on her outstanding on-court defensive performances during the 2023-24 college basketball season.
For more information about the Naismith Awards, visit www.naismithtrophy.com.
ABOUT THE ATLANTA TIPOFF CLUB Founded during the 1956-57 season, the Atlanta Tipoff Club is committed to promoting the game of basketball and recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of those who make the game so exciting. The Atlanta Tipoff Club administers the Naismith Awards, the most prestigious national honors in all of college and high school basketball. Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, inventor of the game of basketball, the family of Naismith Awards annually recognizes the most outstanding men’s and women’s college and high school basketball players and coaches. Other Naismith Awards are presented to the men’s and women’s college basketball defensive players of the year, as well as lifetime achievement awards to basketball officials and outstanding contributors to the game. UCLA’s Lew Alcindor received the first Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy in 1969, while the late Anne Donovan (Old Dominion) was the inaugural women’s recipient in 1983. Corporate partners of the Naismith Awards include AXIA Time, Jersey Mike’s and Werner Ladder.
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Werner, the official ladder of NCAA® March Madness® and the world leader in ladders, offers a complete line of climbing products designed for working at heights. The portfolio includes ladders, attic ladders, scaffolding, pump jacks, stages, planks, stepstools, accessories and fall protection equipment including harnesses, lanyards, anchors and compliance kits. From ladders to fall protection, Werner provides a full line of climbing equipment that’s engineered to give you maximum safety, durability and productivity at every height. All Werner products meet or exceed applicable international safety standards. For more information, visit www.wernerladder.com.
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Media Contact:
Mallory Hadaway
Atlanta Tipoff Club
(256) 682-0599