Clemson’s Rachael Rose Named To Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Preseason Top-20 Watchlist

Clemson, SC. Oct. 27, 2025 – Clemson University senior guard Rachael Rose is one of 20 players named to the 2026 Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Preseason watch list, announced today by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). Rose is one of six ACC performers to be named to the watch list.

 

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SENIOR GUARD RACHAEL ROSE CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

• Two-time SoCon Player of the Year (2022-23, 2023-24).
• Tabbed as Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award Finalist (2023-24).
• Named to College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America Second Team (2023-24) & All District Team (2023-24).
• Rose recorded her first career triple-double & first in Wofford’s program history (19 points, 16 rebounds, 11 assists) against Furman (Jan. 20, 2024) (Has 16 Career double-doubles).
• Posted the longest double-digit scoring streak in Wofford’s program history (49 games).
• Rose averaged 12.5 PPG., 4.7 APG., and 4.3 RPG., last season at Wofford (2024-25) while starting in six contests (due to injury).
• In three seasons at Wofford (2022-25), she averaged 19.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG., and 4.8 APG., while starting 68 contests.
• Over four collegiate seasons, Rose has totaled 1,675 points, 606 rebounds, and 427 assists and counting in her career.

FAN VOTING

Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting in each of the three rounds starting on Friday, October 31. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2026 Lieberman Award will be narrowed to 10, and then in late February, to just 5. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Lieberman, and the Hall of Fame’s selection committees, where winners will be selected. The Selection Committee for the Lieberman Award is composed of top men’s and women’s college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers. Fans can vote here.

NANCY LIEBERMAN PRESEASON TOP-20 WATCH LIST

Rachael Rose, Clemson
Taina Mair, Duke
Janelle Brown, Fairfield
Jada Williams, Iowa State
S’Mya Nichols, Kansas
Tonie Morgan, Kentucky
MiLaysia Fulwiley, LSU
Zoe Brooks, NC State
Britt Prince, Nebraska
Reniya Kelly, North Carolina
Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame
Aaliyah Chavez, Oklahoma
Raven Johnson, South Carolina
Olivia Miles, TCU
Talaysia Cooper, Tennessee
Rori Harmon, Texas
Ny’Ceara Pryor, Texas A&M
Kiki Rice, UCLA
Kymora Johnson, Virginia
Jordan Harrison, West Virginia

*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2025-26 season*

ABOUT THE NANCY LIEBERMAN AWARD

Now in its 27th year, the Nancy Lieberman Award recognizes the top point guard in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball. To be considered for this prestigious award, candidates must exhibit the floor leadership, playmaking, and ball-handling skills of Class of 1996 Hall-of-Famer Nancy Lieberman.

Previous winners of the Nancy Lieberman Award include Caitlin Clark, Iowa (2022-24), Paige Bueckers, UConn (2021 and ‘25), Sabrina Ionescu, Oregon (2018-20), Skylar Diggins, Notre Dame (2012-13), Diana Taurasi, Connecticut (2003-04), and Sue Bird, Connecticut (2000-02).

ABOUT THE WBCA

Founded in 1981, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women’s and girls’ basketball at all levels of competition. The WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers, and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to those organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. For more information, visit WBCA.org.

ABOUT THE NAISMITH BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME

Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving, and celebrating the game of basketball at every level—men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches, and contributors—both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 475 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits, and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo “Court of Dreams.” Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 150 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum, and events, visit hoophall.com and follow @hoophallu.

 TICKETS

Fans can purchase Clemson women’s basketball tickets by calling 1-800-CLEMSON or at ClemsonTigers.com/Tickets/.

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