Monika Czinano named to Lisa Leslie Award Top 10 Watch List
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced their midseason top ten list for the 2023 Lisa Leslie Center of the Year award on Friday morning. Three Big Ten post players made the list, including Iowa fifth year senior Monika Czinano. Czinano is averaging 18.5 points, as well as 6.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 67.2% from the floor. She was named a semifinalist for the award last season. Mackenzie Holmes of Indiana and Alexis Markowski of Nebraska were the other Big Ten players on the list.
Czinano has led the country in shooting percentage each of the last two seasons, including a high mark of 68.0% last season. This year, she ranks third in the country in shooting percentage behind Mackenzie Holmes of Indiana and Mya Berkman of Liberty.
“Congratulations to Monika on receiving that honor today,” said Lisa Bluder during Friday’s media availability. “To me, it’s a no brainer that she’s one of the top ten posts in America, but I’m still glad to see her on that list.”
She is not the first Hawkeye to be mentioned with the Lisa Leslie Award during its six year history. Former Hawkeye and current Phoenix Mercury player Megan Gustafson was named to the midseason top ten list in 2018 and won the award in 2019.
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Over the last eight games, Monika has shown why she deserves to be on the list and why she is an All-American candidate. Since the calendar flipped to 2023, she is averaging 21.3 points per game and is shooting 74/95 (77.9%) from the floor. Last time out, in the Hawkeyes win over #8 Maryland, Czinano scored 28 points on 14/18 shooting from the floor. She also had an 11/11 shooting night back on January 18th against Michigan State.
As a senior last season, Monika led the nation in field goal percentage and was sixth in the country in made field-goals with 277. She was an honorable mention All-American by both the AP and WBCA. She was also a First Team All-Big Ten selection and a Big Ten All-Tournament team honoree.
As a fifth year senior this year, Czinano was named to the preseason First Team All-Big Ten team. She was also selected to the preseason Wooden Award Watch List and then the Wooden Award Late Season Top 20. Her biggest moment of this season came back on December 28th, when she eclipsed 2,000 points for her career. She became just the fifth Iowa Women’s Basketball player to reach to the milestone.
