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Four Sooners Named to Preseason Starting Five Watch Lists
November 01, 2024 | Women's Basketball
NORMAN – Four Sooners have earned spots on watch lists for the Basketball Hall of Fame's Starting Five, it was announced this week. Sahara Williams, Skylar Vann, Liz Scott and Raegan Beers were each named to the top-20 watch list for their respective positional awards, marking the most preseason selections for OU in the Jennie Baranczyk era, which began in 2021-22.
On Wednesday, Williams was named as one of the top 20 small forwards in the country, earning a spot on the Cheryl Miller Award watch list. A 2024 All-Big 12 honorable mention last season, the sophomore will look to break out for the Sooners. As a freshman, she averaged 10.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game and posted double-digit scoring outputs in six of her final eight games last year. Williams, a McDonald's All-American and five-star prospect in the 2023 class, posted the third most freshmen double-doubles in OU history, trailing only Courtney Paris and Madi Williams.
Vann, the reigning Big 12 Player of the Year, was named to the Katrina McClain Award watch list, given annually to the nation's top power forward. The redshirt senior was a unanimous All-Big 12 First Team selection last season and earned AP and WBCA All-America honors. She averaged career highs in points (15.1), rebounds (7.0) and assists (2.4) as a senior and posted 27 games of double-digit scoring. Last season, Vann was on the preseason watch list for the Cheryl Miller Award.
Beers was named one of the 20 watch list honorees for the Lisa Leslie Award, which is awarded to the top center each season. The All-American transfer was a finalist for the honor last year after averaging 17.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game at Oregon State. She notched 16 double-doubles for the Beavers and led the country in field goal percentage (66.4%) and eighth in player efficiency rating (39.3).
Scott joins Beers on the Lisa Leslie watch list, marking the second straight preseason appearance for the redshirt senior. Returning to the floor after missing last season due to injury, Scott will look to pick up where she left off in the 2022-23 season where she averaged career highs in points (8.6), rebounds (6.3) and assists (1.5). As a junior, she led the Big 12 in defensive rebounding rate in conference games and her player efficiency rating in league play (27.3) was third in the conference.
Fans can support their favorite players by participating in Fan Voting, which opens on Friday, Nov. 1, for all three awards. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for each honor will narrow to 10; in late February, it will be reduced to five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to the voting committees to select the winners.
The 2025 Starting Five awards will be announced near the conclusion of the 2024-25 season.
No. 10 Oklahoma boasts one of the most experienced rosters in the nation, returning 98% of the production from last year's Big 12 championship team. Alongside OU's preseason Starting Five honorees, returning starters Nevaeh Tot, Payton Verhulst, and Lexy Keys are back for another season. Verhulst earned first-team All-Big 12 honors last season, while Tot received an honorable mention from league coaches.
The Sooners will tip off their season on Monday, Nov. 4, at 5 p.m. against Southern, airing on SEC Network+.
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