CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Atlanta Tipoff Club Announced today (Oct. 29) the 2026-27 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Women’s College Player of the Year Watch List. Virginia point guard Kymora Johnson was named on the list of 50 players.
Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, the creator of the game of basketball, the Naismith Trophy has become one of the most prestigious national honors awarded each year to top basketball players in the nation. The Naismith Women’s Player of the Year Award was first given to Anne Donovan of Old Dominion University in 1983. Dawn Staley remains the only Cavalier to win the award doing so in 1991 and 1992.
Johnson makes her second consecutive appearance on the Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year Watch List. A Preseason All-ACC selection and member of the 2026-27 Lieberman Award Preseason Top-20, Johnson comes off a junior season in which she averaged 19.5 points, 5.9 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game in 2025-26 and was one of just three players in NCAA Division I to average at least 19 points and 5.5 assists on the year. In the NCAA tournament, Johnson averaged 22 points, 5.7 assists and 6.2 rebounds to guide Virginia to its first Sweet Sixteen appearance in 26 years as UVA became the first team in history to reach the Sweet Sixteen after playing in the First Four.
She set program records for three pointers in a single game (10), single season (103) and career with 231. Her 41 points against Winthrop also marked the second-highest single-game total in program history and her career total of 1,725 points ranks ninth in program history. Johnson was named a first team All-ACC selection and a WBCA All-America honorable mention in 2026.
2026-27 Jersey Mikes Naismith Trophy Women’s College Player of the Year Watch List
|
Player |
School |
|
KK Arnold |
UConn |
|
Jasmine Bascoe |
Villanova |
|
Imari Berry |
Louisville |
|
Sienna Betts |
UCLA |
|
Mikayla Blakes |
Vanderbilt |
|
Madison Booker |
Texas |
|
Zoe Brooks |
NC State |
|
Addy Brown |
UCLA |
|
Jaloni Cambridge |
Ohio State |
|
Dani Carnegie |
Iowa |
|
Aaliyah Chavez |
Oklahoma |
|
Gia Cooke |
West Virginia |
|
Talaysia Cooper |
Ole Miss |
|
Audi Crooks |
Oklahoma State |
|
Jazzy Davidson |
USC |
|
Joyce Edwards |
South Carolina |
|
Toby Fournier |
Duke |
|
MiLaysia Fulwiley |
LSU |
|
Aubrey Galvan |
Vanderbilt |
|
Delaney Gibb |
BYU |
|
Kate Harpring |
North Carolina |
|
Ava Heiden |
Iowa |
|
Hannah Hidalgo |
Notre Dame |
|
Avery Howell |
Washington |
|
Uche Izoje |
Syracuse |
|
Virginia |
|
|
Tessa Johnson |
South Carolina |
|
Chloe Kitts |
South Carolina |
|
Liv McGill |
Oklahoma State |
|
S’Mya Nichols |
Kansas |
|
Oluchi Okananwa |
Maryland |
|
Olivia Olson |
Michigan |
|
Khamil Pierre |
NC State |
|
Britt Prince |
Nebraska |
|
Blanca Quiñonez |
UConn |
|
Tajianna Roberts |
Louisville |
|
Taliah Scott |
Baylor |
|
Sayvia Sellers |
Washington |
|
Clara Silva |
TCU |
|
Clara Strack |
Kentucky |
|
Sarah Strong |
UConn |
|
Syla Swords |
Michigan |
|
Lulu Twidale |
California |
|
Talayah Walker |
Georgia Tech |
|
Zyanna Walker |
Colorado |
|
Berry Wallace |
Illinois |
|
JuJu Watkins |
USC |
|
Lauren Whittaker |
Gonzaga |
|
Jada Williams |
LSU |
|
Mikaylah Williams |
LSU |