DALLAS — BYU senior Lauren Gustin was named to the 2023-24 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Women’s Player of the Year Watchlist, the Naismith Award announced on Friday. The preseason watch list honors the top 50 players in college basketball.
“Lauren had a dominant 2022-23 season and is very deserving of this recognition," said BYU head coach Amber Whiting. "Throughout last year and into this season, Lauren has grown both as a player and, more importantly as a leader on this team. She is going to lead this team on the floor and has become a great mentor to the younger players both on and off the floor as well.”
The graduate senior enters her fourth and final season with the Cougars after leading all NCAA divisions, men’s or women’s in rebounds per game, grabbing 16.7 per contest. The Salem, Utah native’s 552 rebounds shattered the 43-year-old BYU single-season rebounding record held by 1980 National Player of the Year, Tina Gunn.
With a 30-point outing at Santa Clara on Feb. 16th last season, Gustin joined Gunn as the second player in Cougar history to record 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career.
Gustin also recorded 27 double-doubles during her junior campaign, the second most in the country which matched Gunn’s BYU record of 27 double-doubles during the 1979-80 season in which she was named the National Player of the Year.
The senior has been honored as a finalist for the Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year award in each of the past two seasons and was named to the preseason watch list in October. Gustin looks to make more history during the 2023-24 season as she sits 312 rebounds shy of the all-time BYU career record for rebounds.
BYU begins its 2023-24 campaign with a road trip to face the Montana State Bobcats on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 11 a.m. MT. Jason Shepherd will have the radio call live on BYU Radio 107.9, byuradio.org and the BYU Radio App with the game being streamed on ESPN+.