Leger-Walker selected to Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Midseason Watch List

ATLANTA – The Atlanta Tip-Off Club announced Tuesday, Feb. 7, that Washington State women's basketball player Charlisse Leger-Walker has been one of 30 players named to the 2023 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Midseason Watch List.

It is the first time that Leger-Walker has been named as one of the 30 midseason finalists for the Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy, which goes annually to the nation's top women's college basketball player. The Midseason Team will be trimmed to 10 national semifinalists in early March, and then further trimmed to four finalists on Mar. 21. The 2023 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy will be awarded on Mar. 29.

The Waikato, New Zealand native has once again established herself as one of the best players in NCAA Division I this season, as Leger-Walker is averaging 18.9 points and 4.6 assists per game. Leger-Walker is one of two Power 5 Conference players to rank inside the top two in their conference in both points and assists, joining Iowa star, Caitlin Clark.

The guard has gotten Washington State off to its best start to a season in the NCAA era in program history, as the Cougars are 16-7 overall. Despite missing four games this season due to a personal family matter that required her to go back to New Zealand, Leger-Walker still ranks 28th in NCAA Division l in points per game, while she is 55th nationally in assists per game. The guard is shooting a career-best 42.2 percent from the floor this season and is connecting on a personal-best 38.6 percent on 3-point shots, which is the 65th-best 3-point shooting percentage in NCAA Division I.

The Cougars are 16-3 this season when Leger-Walker is in the lineup, while she has helped WSU collect two road wins over top-25 teams over the last three weeks. She is also one of four NCAA Division I players, and the only Power 5 Conference player, to have recorded both a 35-point and a 40-point scoring performance this season.

Earlier this season, Leger-Walker became just the second Washington State women's basketball player to score 40 points in a game in the NCAA era, when she posted an even 40 points at Washington on Dec. 11. The guard is one of 13 NCAA Division I players this season to score 40 points in a game. Ledger-Walker's 40-point outing in Seattle was just one-point shy of Jenni Ruff's school record for most points scored in a game. Leger-Walker has scored double-digit points in all but two games this season, while she recently had a 17-game double-digit scoring streak come to an end, which was tied with Lia Galdeira for the ninth-longest double-digit scoring streak in school history. Leger-Walker has tallied 20 or more points in nine games this season, which also includes a 35-point outing at San Francisco.

Leger-Walker scored her 1,000th career point at Washington State in the third game this season against Prairie View A&M in Beasley Coliseum on Nov. 13. She reached the 1,000-point milestone in just 57 games, tying her with Pac-12 Conference Hall of Famer Jeanne Eggart for the school record for quickest to 1,000 career points. The guard has moved up Washington State's career scoring and 3-point field goals made lists this season. Leger-Walker is now fifth in program history with 153 made 3-pointers, while her 1,295 career points are the 11th-most in school history.

Last week, Leger-Walker was named a top-10 finalist for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, an honor that goes out to the nation's top shooting guard. Senior Bella Murekatete was also named a top-10 finalist for the Lisa Leslie Award. Fans can vote for both the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award and the Lisa Leslie Award at HoopHallAwards.com.

Washington State hits the road this weekend for a key road trip through the Rocky Mountains. The Cougars open the trip at No. 25-ranked Colorado this Friday, Feb. 10. Tip-off against the Buffaloes is set for 6 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on Pac-12 Network Mountain.

For more information on the Washington State women's basketball team, follow @WSUCougarWBB on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.