Cook Named to Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Top-20 Preseason Watch List for Second Straight Season

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois fifth-year guard Makira Cook was named to the Nancy Lieberman Award preseason watch list for the second consecutive season, the Naismith Awards announced on Monday. The Nancy Lieberman Award honors the top point guard in the country, with Cook earning one of 20 spots on the preseason watch list. Cook is the only Illinois player ever to be named to the Lieberman Award watch list.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) have given the award annually since 2000.

Cook was named an All-Big Ten Second Team honoree following the 2023-24 season, during which she led the Fighting Illini in scoring with 16.4 points per game. Cook scored in double figures in 27 of her 31 appearances, including in each of her final 11 games of the campaign, and she led Illinois in scoring 14 times during her senior season.

Recording her second-straight 500-point season, Cook secured two double-doubles in her second year at Illinois while going 40% from the field, 35.4% from 3-point range, and 85.4% from the free-throw line.

Averaging 21 points per game during the Illini's run to the inaugural WBIT championship, Cook was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after tallying 27 points and shooting 5-for-6 from 3-point range in the title game against Villanova. Her 105 points during the WBIT broke the program's single-tournament scoring record.

Cook, who was named to the 2024-25 Coaches Preseason All-Big Ten team on Sept. 26, will compete at Illinois in her final year of eligibility. She has already eclipsed the 1,000-point mark at Illinois and has surpassed 1,600 points across her career.

The Nancy Lieberman Award watch list will be narrowed down to 10 in late January, while five finalists will be revealed in late March.

The 2024 Nancy Lieberman Award is one of five women's Naismith Starting 5 awards. The preseason watch lists for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award (Shooting Guard), Cheryl Miller Award (Small Forward), Katrina McClain Award (Power Forward), and the Lisa Leslie Award (Center) will be announced throughout the week.

2024-25 Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Award Candidates*

*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point during the 2024-25 season.