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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Shakira Austin Named to the Wooden Award Mid-Season Top 25 Watch List
1/5/2022 | Women's Basketball
Center a Candidate for the 2022 John R. Wooden Award Women’s Player of the Year
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – For the second year in a row, Shakira Austin has found herself a spot on the 2021-22 John R. Wooden Award Mid-Season Top 25 Watch List, as the Fredericksburg, Va., native continues to cement her status as one of the best players in the nation.
The list is comprised of 25 student-athletes who are front runners for the Wooden Award All American Team and Most Outstanding Player Award. Since 1976, the John R. Wooden Award program is one of the top honors in college basketball recognizing the best of the best throughout the sport. The list will be narrowed down during the 2021-22 season with the Wooden award late season list and the National Ballot.
The senior center continues to lead the Rebels throughout a historic start to the 2021-22 campaign, as Ole Miss rides its third longest winning streak in program history with 12 wins in a row. Through non-conference play, Austin ranks first on the team in points (13.2) and rebounds (8.6) per game. After averaging 13.5 and 9.5 rebounds per game at the Raising the B.A.R. Invitational at Cal, Austin was named as the Tournament MVP as Ole Miss picked up its first tournament title since 2014. She most recently broke the 200 career-block mark at Hofstra and ranks fourth overall in the SEC among active players. Austin currently leads the conference in active rebounds with a total of 899.
The Wooden Award All-American team will be announced the week of the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2022 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Wendy's following the NCAA Tournament in April.
Previous Wooden Award All-Americans include, Paige Bueckers, UConn, Aliyah Boston, South Carolina, Rhyne Howard, Kentucky and NaLyssa Smith, Baylor.
For up-to-date information on the Wooden Award, please go to www.woodenaward.com and follow the Wooden Award on Facebook at www.facebook.com/woodenaward and @WoodenAward on Twitter and Instagram.
About the John R. Wooden Award:
Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award Program hosts the most prestigious honors in college basketball recognizing the Wooden Award Most Outstanding Player for men and women, the Wooden Award All American Teams for men and women and the annual selection of the Wooden Award Legends of Coaching recipient. Honorees have proven to their university that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the John R. Wooden Award as set forth by Coach Wooden and the Wooden Award Steering Committee, including making progress towards graduation and maintaining at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA. Previous winners include Larry Bird ('79), Michael Jordan ('84), Tim Duncan ('97), Kevin Durant ('07), Candace Parker ('07; '08), Maya Moore ('09; '11), Chiney Ogwumike ('14), Breanna Stewart ('15 and '16) and last year's recipients, Paige Bueckers of Connecticut and Luka Garza of Iowa.
Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed nearly one million dollars to the universities' general scholarship fund in the names of the Wooden Award All American recipients and has sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps. Additionally, the John R. Wooden Award partners with the Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) each year to host the Wooden Award Special Olympics Southern California Basketball Tournament. The day-long tournament brings together Special Olympics athletes and Wooden Award All Americans and coaches in attendance. It is hosted at the Los Angeles Athletic Club during the John R. Wooden Award Weekend.
Follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWBB, Facebook at Ole Miss WBB and on Instagram at Ole MissWBB. You can also follow head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin on Twitter at @YolettMcCuin
The list is comprised of 25 student-athletes who are front runners for the Wooden Award All American Team and Most Outstanding Player Award. Since 1976, the John R. Wooden Award program is one of the top honors in college basketball recognizing the best of the best throughout the sport. The list will be narrowed down during the 2021-22 season with the Wooden award late season list and the National Ballot.
The senior center continues to lead the Rebels throughout a historic start to the 2021-22 campaign, as Ole Miss rides its third longest winning streak in program history with 12 wins in a row. Through non-conference play, Austin ranks first on the team in points (13.2) and rebounds (8.6) per game. After averaging 13.5 and 9.5 rebounds per game at the Raising the B.A.R. Invitational at Cal, Austin was named as the Tournament MVP as Ole Miss picked up its first tournament title since 2014. She most recently broke the 200 career-block mark at Hofstra and ranks fourth overall in the SEC among active players. Austin currently leads the conference in active rebounds with a total of 899.
The Wooden Award All-American team will be announced the week of the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2022 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Wendy's following the NCAA Tournament in April.
Previous Wooden Award All-Americans include, Paige Bueckers, UConn, Aliyah Boston, South Carolina, Rhyne Howard, Kentucky and NaLyssa Smith, Baylor.
For up-to-date information on the Wooden Award, please go to www.woodenaward.com and follow the Wooden Award on Facebook at www.facebook.com/woodenaward and @WoodenAward on Twitter and Instagram.
About the John R. Wooden Award:
Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award Program hosts the most prestigious honors in college basketball recognizing the Wooden Award Most Outstanding Player for men and women, the Wooden Award All American Teams for men and women and the annual selection of the Wooden Award Legends of Coaching recipient. Honorees have proven to their university that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the John R. Wooden Award as set forth by Coach Wooden and the Wooden Award Steering Committee, including making progress towards graduation and maintaining at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA. Previous winners include Larry Bird ('79), Michael Jordan ('84), Tim Duncan ('97), Kevin Durant ('07), Candace Parker ('07; '08), Maya Moore ('09; '11), Chiney Ogwumike ('14), Breanna Stewart ('15 and '16) and last year's recipients, Paige Bueckers of Connecticut and Luka Garza of Iowa.
Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed nearly one million dollars to the universities' general scholarship fund in the names of the Wooden Award All American recipients and has sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps. Additionally, the John R. Wooden Award partners with the Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) each year to host the Wooden Award Special Olympics Southern California Basketball Tournament. The day-long tournament brings together Special Olympics athletes and Wooden Award All Americans and coaches in attendance. It is hosted at the Los Angeles Athletic Club during the John R. Wooden Award Weekend.
Follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWBB, Facebook at Ole Miss WBB and on Instagram at Ole MissWBB. You can also follow head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin on Twitter at @YolettMcCuin
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