Naismith Award Winners 2024

Naismith Award Winners 2024

In 2024, the Naismith Awards recognized outstanding players and coaches in college basketball. The winners were Caitlin Clark, Dawn Staley, and Cameron Brink. Caitlin Clark won the Player of the Year award for the second year in a row. She scored a lot of points and led her team to victory many times.

Dawn Staley won the Coach of the Year award for the second year in a row too. She helped her team, South Carolina, do very well in the games. Cameron Brink won the Defensive Player of the Year award. She was very good at stopping the other team from scoring points.

These awards are important in basketball because they show who did the best job playing and coaching. It's like getting a gold medal for being the best in basketball. Winning these awards means the players and coaches worked really hard and did a great job. Everyone is very proud of them!

Women's Naismith Award Winners 2024

Player of the Year: Caitlin Clark

Caitlin Clark is a basketball player who is really good at playing basketball. She won the Player of the Year award two times in a row. This award is given to the best player in college basketball. Caitlin played for the Iowa team. She helped her team win many games by scoring lots of points. She is very talented at shooting the ball into the basket. People say she's one of the best scorers in college basketball.

Caitlin is from Iowa and has been playing basketball for a long time. She started playing when she was very young. She practiced a lot and got better and better. Now, she's famous for her amazing skills on the basketball court.

Coach of the Year: Dawn Staley

Dawn Staley is a very good basketball coach. She won the Coach of the Year award in 2024. This means she did a great job coaching her team. Dawn Staley coaches the South Carolina basketball team. She helps the players learn and improve their skills. Staley is very smart about basketball. She knows how to make a team work together well. That's why her team did so well in the games.

Dawn Staley is a very good basketball coach. She won the Coach of the Year award in 2024. This means she did a great job coaching her team. Dawn Staley coaches the South Carolina basketball team. She helps the players learn and improve their skills. Staley is very smart about basketball. She knows how to make a team work together well. That's why her team did so well in the games.

Staley is not only a coach but also a leader. She guides her team on and off the court. She teaches them about teamwork, discipline, and determination.

Defensive Player of the Year: Cameron Brink

Cameron Brink is a really good basketball player. She won an award for being great at defense in basketball. That means she's very good at stopping the other team from scoring points. Brink played for Stanford's basketball team. She helped her team a lot by being strong on defense. Brink is from the Pac-12 conference, which is a group of colleges that play against each other.

She did so well that she won the award for best defensive player. Brink is very tall and strong, which helps her block shots and get rebounds. Rebounds are when you catch the ball after someone misses a shot. Brink is also good at scoring points and getting rebounds herself.

She works really hard to improve her skills and help her team win games. Winning this award is a big achievement for her. It shows that she's one of the best defensive players in college basketball. Brink's hard work and talent make her an important player for Stanford and a role model for other basketball players.

Women's Naismith Award Nominees 2024

Player of the Year:

• Caitlin Clark (Iowa)
• Paige Bueckers (UConn)
• JuJu Watkins (USC)
• Cameron Brink (Stanford)

Coach of the Year:

• Dawn Staley (South Carolina)
• Lisa Bluder (Iowa)
• Lindsay Gottlieb (USC)
• Tara VanDerveer (Stanford)

Defensive Player of the Year:

• Cameron Brink (Stanford)
• Kamilla Cardoso (South Carolina)
• Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame)
• Celeste Taylor (Ohio State)

Men's Naismith Award Finalist 2024

Player of the Year

• RJ Davis
• North CarolinaZach Edey
• PurdueDalton Knecht
• TennesseeJamal Shead, Houston

Defensive Player of the Year

• Zach Edey
• PurdueRyan Kalkbrenner
• CreightonTamin Lipsey
• Iowa StateJamal Shead
• Houston

Coach of the Year

• Dan Hurley
• UConnT.J. Otzelberger
• Iowa StateLamont Paris
• South CarolinaKelvin Sampson
• Houston

Naismith Award 2024

In 2024, the Naismith Awards celebrated talented basketball players and coaches. These awards are like big prizes in basketball. They show who did the best job playing and coaching during the season.

These awards make the players and coaches feel proud of their hard work. It's like getting a big gold medal in basketball. Winning these awards means they worked really hard and did a great job.

Everyone is very happy for them!