Monika Czinano Lands on Leslie Watch List

Iowa Center in Running for National Award

Iowa's Monika Czinano (Rob Howe/HawkeyeNation.com)

IOWA CITY, Iowa - Iowa fifth-year Monika Czinano has been named to the 2023 Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Preseason Watch List, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced on Friday. Czinano was a semifinalist for the award in 2022.

The list is comprised of 20 student-athletes who are the early front-runners for the sixth annual Lisa Leslie Award that recognizes the best center in women’s basketball.

Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting, in each of the three rounds starting Friday, Oct. 21. In late January, the list of 20 players will be narrowed to 10 and then in late February to just five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Leslie and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee where a winner will be selected.

Previous winners of the Lisa Leslie Award are Aliyah Boston, South Carolina (2020-22), Megan Gustafson, Iowa (2019) and A’ja Wilson, South Carolina (2018).

Czinano returns to the Hawkeyes after leading the nation in field-goal percentage (.679), ranking sixth in field goals made (277), 11th in total points (656) and 12th in points per contest (21.2). A season ago, she earned All-Big Ten accolades, and was an Associated Press and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association All-America honorable mention. For the second time in her career, she was named to both of the Big Ten preseason all-conference teams.

Tickets to see Czinano and the fourth ranked Hawkeyes are available by calling the ticket office at 1-800-IA-HAWKS or online at hawkeyesports.com/tickets.