Osborne Named to Late Season Wooden Award Watch List

Junior guard Charisma Osborne has been selected to the Late Season Top 20 Watch List for the John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy's, as announced by the Los Angeles Athletic Club earlier this afternoon on ESPNU. Chosen by a poll of national college basketball experts based on their performances during the 2021-22 season thus far, the list comprises of 20 student-athletes who are front-runners for the prestigious award.

Osborne is currently second in the Pac-12 in scoring at 17.9 points per game. She has scored in double figures in each of the 13 games she has played this season and has five 20-point games to her credit, including a 27-point effort at USC on Jan. 23 and a 26-point output against UConn on Dec. 11. Osborne also drained a career-high seven three-pointers against the Huskies. The Moreno Valley, Calif., native has a double-double to her credit this season, putting up 19 points and 11 rebounds in UCLA's win over St. John's at the Gulf Coast Showcase (Nov. 28). In her most recent game against Arizona on Jan. 26, Osborne joined UCLA's 1,000-point club and now has 1,001 points in her career.

The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2022 John R. Wooden Award Women's Player of the Year presented by Wendy's. Players not chosen to the late season list are still eligible for the Wooden Award™ National Ballot. The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award. Nearly 1,000 voters will rank in order 10 of those 15 players when voting opens prior to the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during early round games. 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.
 
John R. Wooden Award Late Season Top 20
Shakira Austin, Mississippi
Kierstan Bell, Florida Gulf Coast
Aliyah Boston, South Carolina
Cameron Brink, Stanford
Caitlin Clark, Iowa
Elissa Cunane, NC State
Destanni Henderson, South Carolina
Naz Hillmon, Michigan
Mackenzie Holmes, Indiana
Jordan Horston, Tennessee
Rhyne Howard, Kentucky
Ashley Joens, Iowa State
Haley Jones, Stanford
Elizabeth Kitley, Virginia Tech
Ayoka Lee, Kansas State
Aneesah Morrow, DePaul
Charisma Osborne, UCLA
Ashley Owusu, Maryland
Angel Reese, Maryland
NaLyssa Smith, Baylor