Three members of back-to-back champion Huskies have been named to Naismith Trophy Women’s 50 Watch List, which was announced this week: Junior forward Breanna Stewart, junior point guard Moriah Jefferson and senior shooting guard/small forward Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis. The group was named to the Wooden Award Preseason Top-30 as well.
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In the history of the Naismith Trophy, six Huskies have earned the award in eight different seasons. Rebecca Lobo first took home the honors for Connecticut in the 1995 season after winning the program’s first National Championship.
In 2002, the Naismith Award was bestowed on Sue Bird after UConn’s first of three consecutive National Titles. Diana Taurasi followed on Bird’s heels as a back-to-back recipient in 2003 and 2004. Tina Charles earned the honors in 2010, in between Maya Moore’s two seasons as the Naismith Award winner in 2009 and 2011.
Last season, Stewart was selected as the winner of the prestigious award, becoming just the seventh player to win the Naismith Trophy in both high school and college.
According to NaismithTrophy.com, The Naismith Trophy was first presented to UCLA’s Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) in 1969. Old Dominion’s Anne Donovan won the inaugural Women’s Naismith Trophy in 1983.
