LOS ANGELES – The John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy’s announced the Women’s Preseason Top 30 Watch List on ESPNW this afternoon. LSU senior Ayana Mitchell is one of the 30 candidates on the 2019-20 list.
The list is comprised of 30 student-athletes who are the early front-runners for college basketball’s most prestigious honor. The list was chosen by a preseason poll of national women’s college basketball media members.
This is the fourth preseason honor for Mitchell, following her selections to the SEC Preseason Media and Coaches First Teams and the Katrina McClain Award Watch List.
The Conyers, Georgia, native finished her junior year ranked 24th in the nation and second in the SEC in field goal shooting percentage at 56.3 percent to lead LSU. She averaged a double-double of 13.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Her rebounding average ranked 30th in the nation and third in the SEC, while she was 20th in the nation with 16 double-doubles. Mitchell ranked 17th in the SEC in scoring and was tied for 11th in steals per game (1.7).
An All-SEC First Team selection in 2018-19, she was 18th in the nation and third in the SEC in offensive rebounds (4.0) and third in the SEC in defensive rebounds with 6.5 per game. Against Auburn on March 3, Mitchell grabbed a career-high 21 rebounds and became the 15th Lady Tiger to crack the 700 career rebounds mark. She is currently 12 points away from becoming the 33rd Lady Tiger to score 1,000 career points.
LSU hosts New Orleans in the season opener this evening at 6:30 p.m. in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
For the full watch list, go to woodenaward.com.