SOUTH CAROLINA SWEEPS WOMEN’S NAISMITH AWARDS
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (March 30, 2022) – South Carolina’s Dawn Staley has been named the Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s Coach of the Year, while the Gamecocks’ Aliyah Boston earned the 2022 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy for Women’s Player of the Year and was named Naismith Trophy Women’s Defensive Player of the Year. It marks the first time in Naismith Awards history that a university has swept all three awards.
“Dawn’s remarkable leadership and Aliyah’s innate on-court dominance were evident in how South Carolina has performed throughout the season culminating with a conference championship, top-tier national ranking and a chance to win the national championship still ahead,” said Eric Oberman, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. “Truly a remarkable season for both and wonderful representatives of the Naismith Awards.”
Staley is now a two-time recipient of the coaching award, earning the honor in 2020 when she became the first-ever head coach in either men’s or women’s college basketball to win the Naismith Coach of the Year award after previously winning the Naismith Player of the Year (Virginia, 1991, 1992). She edged out Wes Moore (NC State), Kim Mulkey (LSU) and Tara VanDerveer (Stanford). Named SEC Coach of the Year for the fifth time in her career, Staley led South Carolina to an undefeated 12-0 record versus AP-ranked opponents, an SEC regular-season title and a Final Four appearance for the fourth time in the last seven NCAA Tournaments. For the first time in program history, the Gamecocks were ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll for the entire season.
“Werner is proud of its association with the Atlanta Tipoff Club and honoring the most outstanding coaches in college basketball, and we salute all the women’s finalists for leading their teams to exceptional seasons,” said Stacy Gardella, head of Global Marketing Technology & Operations at WernerCo. “It is an honor to recognize Dawn Staley, as her leadership and positive impact on the lives of the student-athletes she coaches make her incredibly deserving of this year’s Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s Coach of the Year award.”
“Any time you win an award like this, it goes to one individual, but it really does take a village,” Staley said. “I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention our coaches, staff, administrators and all our players. Their commitment allows us to be recognized this way. I think God gives us an opportunity to play this game we love and to represent it the way that we do. On behalf of our entire team, I want to thank the Naismith Awards and Werner Ladder for this honor.”
Boston is the first player to earn recognition for both Naismith’s player and defensive player awards. For defensive recognition, she ousted Cameron Brink (Stanford), Veronica Burton (Northwestern) and Lorela Cubaj (Georgia Tech); she topped Caitlin Clark (Iowa), Haley Jones (Stanford) and NaLyssa Smith (Baylor) to win women’s player of the year. This year’s SEC Player of the Year, Boston also garnered conference Defensive Player of the Year honors for the third-consecutive season. The junior’s 28 double-doubles this season lead the nation and include an SEC-record 27 straight from Nov. 29, 2021, through March 25, 2022. With her impact felt on both ends of the floor, Boston leads the nation in player efficiency rating and win shares. She is the only player ranked in the top 20 of both offensive and defensive win shares, ranking second and first in those standings, respectively. Dominant on the glass, Boston’s 428 rebounds are the most in Gamecock history since Katrina Anderson grabbed 434 in the 1977-78 season.
“First, I just want to say ‘congrats’ to all this year’s Naismith Awards finalists,” Boston said. “I think we all made it very hard on the voting academy and fans because everyone had such a great season. I want to thank God. I want to thank my teammates for getting me here to this opportunity, and Coach Staley and the coaches for developing me into the player I am.”
“Jersey Mike’s congratulates Aliyah on her recognition as the 2022 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Women’s Player of the Year,” said Rich Hope, chief marketing officer, Jersey Mike’s Franchise Systems, Inc. “While each of the finalists were deserving of this award, Aliyah’s consistent dominance and leadership on the court is what ultimately set her apart to claim this honor.”
WERNER LADDER NAISMITH COACH OF THE YEAR | JERSEY MIKE’S NAISMITH PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Staley and Boston 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 2021-22 college basketball season. Additionally, fans had the opportunity to cast a ballot through naismithfanvote.com and on the @NaismithTrophy and NCAA @MarchMadnessWBB Twitter pages, which accounted for 5% of the overall vote. The vote was tabulated and certified by Aprio, a premier CPA-led business advisory firm, headquartered in Atlanta. The 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.
NAISMITH DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
The Atlanta Tipoff Club’s board of selectors, comprised of leading journalists from around the country, selected the winners, basing their selections on outstanding on-court defensive performances during the 2021-22 regular 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 Jersey Mike’s and Werner Ladder.
ABOUT WERNER
WERNER, a WernerCo brand, is the official ladder of NCAA® March Madness® and the world leader in ladders with 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. For more information, visit www.wernerladder.com.
ABOUT JERSEY MIKE’S SUBS
Jersey Mike’s Subs, with more than 2,500 locations open and under development nationwide, serves authentic fresh sliced/fresh grilled subs on in-store freshly baked bread — the same recipe it started with in 1956. Passion for giving in Jersey Mike’s local communities is reflective in its mission statement “Giving…making a difference in someone’s life.” For more information, please visit jerseymikes.com or follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/jerseymikes), Instagram (instagram.com/jerseymikes), and Twitter (twitter.com/jerseymikes.com).
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Media Contact:
Traci Messier
Jackson Spalding for the Atlanta Tipoff Club
706-816-6022