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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Beers Selected as Top-10 Candidate for Lisa Leslie Award
February 07, 2025 | Women's Basketball
NORMAN – Oklahoma junior Raegan Beers has been named a top-10 candidate for the prestigious Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced Friday.
Beers, a 6-4 All-American from Littleton, Colo., was a finalist for the honor last season at Oregon State. Now leading the Sooners, she has been dominant, pacing the team in points (16.9 PPG), rebounds (8.9 RPG) and blocks (1.1 BPG).
A force in the paint, Beers has registered nine double-doubles in 22 games, tying Madi Williams' 2021-22 mark for the most in a season under head coach Jennie Baranczyk. Only 11 players in Oklahoma history have reached double-digit double-doubles in a season – a feat not accomplished since Vionise Pierre-Louis in 2017-18.
One of the most efficient scorers in the country, Beers ranks sixth nationally in field goal percentage, connecting on 66.1% of her shots. When adjusted for 40 minutes, her dominance is even clearer as she is the only player in the nation averaging 30 points and 15 rebounds per game, and her player efficiency rating (PER) of 36.9 ranks third among Division I centers.
Beers has delivered on the biggest stages, pouring in 20+ points in road matchups at No. 2 South Carolina and No. 6 LSU, along with a 26-point neutral-site outing against No. 10 Duke. Most recently, she posted an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double against No. 11 Kentucky. She remains the only player in the country with seven games of at least 10 points and five rebounds against ranked opponents.
In Oklahoma's win over DePaul, she became the first Sooner ever – and just the third player nationally since 1999 – to record 15 points, eight rebounds and 100% shooting (minimum six attempts) in under 15 minutes. Against LSU, she went 8-for-8 from the floor, becoming just the second player since 1999 – joining Ruthy Hebard (Oregon) – to notch multiple 20-point games against top-25 teams while making at least eight field goals without a miss in a career. She first accomplished the feat against Utah last season at Oregon State.
The nation's top transfer, Beers arrived in Norman after two stellar seasons with the Beavers where she was an All-American and led them to the Elite Eight.
Now in its eighth year, the Lisa Leslie Award honors the top center in Division I women's basketball. Named after the three-time All-American, 1994 National Player of the Year and Hall of Famer, the award has been claimed by stars such as Cameron Brink (2024), Aliyah Boston (2020-23), Megan Gustafson (2019) and A'ja Wilson (2018).
The top-10 list will be trimmed to five finalists in March, with the winner announced at a later date. The selection panel includes media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers.
Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Top-10 Candidates
Audi Crooks, Iowa State
Ayoka Lee, Kansas State
Clara Strack, Kentucky
Alexis Markowski, Nebraska
Raegan Beers, Oklahoma
Brooklyn Meyer, South Dakota State
Sedona Prince, TCU
Taylor Jones, Texas
Lauren Betts, UCLA
Rayah Marshall, USC
Beers, a 6-4 All-American from Littleton, Colo., was a finalist for the honor last season at Oregon State. Now leading the Sooners, she has been dominant, pacing the team in points (16.9 PPG), rebounds (8.9 RPG) and blocks (1.1 BPG).
A force in the paint, Beers has registered nine double-doubles in 22 games, tying Madi Williams' 2021-22 mark for the most in a season under head coach Jennie Baranczyk. Only 11 players in Oklahoma history have reached double-digit double-doubles in a season – a feat not accomplished since Vionise Pierre-Louis in 2017-18.
One of the most efficient scorers in the country, Beers ranks sixth nationally in field goal percentage, connecting on 66.1% of her shots. When adjusted for 40 minutes, her dominance is even clearer as she is the only player in the nation averaging 30 points and 15 rebounds per game, and her player efficiency rating (PER) of 36.9 ranks third among Division I centers.
Beers has delivered on the biggest stages, pouring in 20+ points in road matchups at No. 2 South Carolina and No. 6 LSU, along with a 26-point neutral-site outing against No. 10 Duke. Most recently, she posted an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double against No. 11 Kentucky. She remains the only player in the country with seven games of at least 10 points and five rebounds against ranked opponents.
In Oklahoma's win over DePaul, she became the first Sooner ever – and just the third player nationally since 1999 – to record 15 points, eight rebounds and 100% shooting (minimum six attempts) in under 15 minutes. Against LSU, she went 8-for-8 from the floor, becoming just the second player since 1999 – joining Ruthy Hebard (Oregon) – to notch multiple 20-point games against top-25 teams while making at least eight field goals without a miss in a career. She first accomplished the feat against Utah last season at Oregon State.
The nation's top transfer, Beers arrived in Norman after two stellar seasons with the Beavers where she was an All-American and led them to the Elite Eight.
Now in its eighth year, the Lisa Leslie Award honors the top center in Division I women's basketball. Named after the three-time All-American, 1994 National Player of the Year and Hall of Famer, the award has been claimed by stars such as Cameron Brink (2024), Aliyah Boston (2020-23), Megan Gustafson (2019) and A'ja Wilson (2018).
The top-10 list will be trimmed to five finalists in March, with the winner announced at a later date. The selection panel includes media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers.
Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Top-10 Candidates
Audi Crooks, Iowa State
Ayoka Lee, Kansas State
Clara Strack, Kentucky
Alexis Markowski, Nebraska
Raegan Beers, Oklahoma
Brooklyn Meyer, South Dakota State
Sedona Prince, TCU
Taylor Jones, Texas
Lauren Betts, UCLA
Rayah Marshall, USC
Players Mentioned
C
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