2023 Naismith Awards: Caitlin Clark is awarded Player of the Year, along with Boston and Staley of South Carolina

Iowa star Caitlin Clark was named the 2023 Naismith Player of the Year on Wednesday, perceiving her as the most extraordinary player in ladies’ b-ball. The honor comes after a predominant 2022-23 season in which Clark procured her second consecutive Large Ten Player of the Year grant, among different awards.

Along with 2022 winner Aliyah Boston of South Carolina, Elizabeth Kitley of Virginia Tech, and Maddy Siegrist of Villanova, Clark was one of four finalists for the Player of the Year award. Boston would win the Naismith Award for Defensive Player of the Year, and Dawn Staley, the head coach of South Carolina, would win the Naismith Award for Coach of the Year.

In the NCAA Women’s Tournament Final Four on Friday, Clark and the Hawkeyes will compete against Boston, Staley, and the Gamecocks.

“Winning the Naismith Trophy is such a huge honor for my family and our program,” Clark said. “None of this would be possible without my tremendous support system. I want to also thank Lisa Bluder for giving me the opportunity to play at Iowa and really thrive during my time here.”

Clark is the only player in women’s college basketball this season to average more than 20 points (27.3), five assists (8.6), and five rebounds (7.3) per game. As a result, she has been by far the most statistically dominant player. Clark made her mark on the NCAA Tournament with a 40-point triple double against Louisville in the Elite Eight, after being named Big Ten Championship tournament MVP. Clark became the first male or female athlete in Division I NCAA basketball history to score over 900 points and dish out 300 assists in a single season in that matchup.

Clark joins Megan Gustafson (2019) and his male counterpart Luka Garza (2021) as Hawkeyes players to win the Naismith Player of the Year award. Currently, Gustafson’s 1,001 points in 2019 rank second in Big Ten history behind Clark’s 984 points in a single season.