Courtesy of Charlotte Athletics Communications 

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Charlotte women’s basketball senior point guard Laia Raventós has been selected as one of 20 candidates on the Preseason Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List, as announced Monday by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and Women’s Basketball Coaches association.

The annual honor recognizes the top point guard in women’s college basketball. To be considered for this prestigious award, candidates exhibit the floor leadership, play-making and ball-handling skills of Class of 1996 Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman.

This list will be narrowed down to 10 in mid-February and then five finalists will be selected in March that will be presented to Nancy Lieberman and the selection committee. The winner of the award will be presented live at a ceremony hosted by the Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association at the NCAA Women’s Final Four in Tampa.

Throughout the whole process, the list will be fluid and players will have the ability to play themselves on or off the list until the finalists are announced. Fans will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite finalist.

“I’m thrilled for Laia that she’s been named to this prestigious watch list,” eighth-year head coach Cara Consuegra said. “I’ve not been shy about this – she’s one of the best point guards in the country, and certainly Conference USA. But for people outside of this league to notice that and recognize her is very well deserved for her for all the hard work she has put in throughout her career.

“When we recruited Laia, she was not a true point guard. She had played point guard but she’s had to do a lot of work to put herself in position to be a great point guard, and not just a great player. For that to pay off for her is certainly thrilling to see.”

Raventós is the first player under Consuegra to be selected to the list and is the only candidate from Conference USA.

She enters her final campaign with the 49ers as a member of the Preseason All-Conference USA Team, as announced last week. She is poised to cap her collegiate career with several milestones in her sights, including the program’s all-time assists record. She enters the year with 448, needing 49 assists to overcome Ny Hammonds (2011-14), who established the mark with 496.

The Santa Eulàlia de Riuprimer, Spain, native also is 78 points shy of becoming the school’s 24th member of the 1,000-point club.

Last year, she was the only Charlotte player to start all 30 games and proceeded to lead the squad in scoring, assists and steals, all with career-high numbers. She also was the Conference USA leader in assists and steals.

Raventós tallied a career-best 29 points in the non-conference finale against Mercer and reached the 20-point plateau four times with 25 double-figure scoring games, including the last 10 contests. She scored 20 points and added 10 assists for a double-double at Wake Forest.

As the team’s primary point guard, she finished with a positive assist-to-turnover ratio 25 times and tied her career high with 11 assists against Coppin State.

She will join the rest of her 49ers teammates in exhibition action at 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, against Chowan inside Halton Arena. The regular season tips-off at home less than a week later, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8, against UNC Asheville.

More information on the awards can be found at hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #LiebermanAward on Twitter and Instagram. The selection committee for the Nancy Lieberman Award is composed of top women’s college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers.

Stay up-to-date with the latest news and information surrounding the Charlotte program on social media by following it on Twitter and Instagram, both @CharlotteWBB. Season and single-game ticket information can be found at packthemine49.com or by calling 704.687.4949.

2019 Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Award Candidates
Laia Raventós, Charlotte
Kennedy Leonard, Colorado
Crystal Dangerfield, Connecticut
Kyra Lambert, Duke
Taja Cole, Georgia
Kayla Goth, Kansas State
Channise Lewis, Maryland
Kenisha Bell, Minnesota
Paris Kea, North Carolina
Marina Mabrey, Notre Dame
Chastadie Barrs, Lamar
Carmen Grande, Ohio State
Sabrina Ionescu, Oregon
Destiny Slocum, Oregon State
Jessica Kovatch, Saint Francis (Pa.)
Tyasha Harris, South Carolina
Tiana Mangakahia, Syracuse
Evina Westbrook, Tennessee
Chennedy Carter, Texas A&M