Bailey Selected As Top 10 Finalist For Leslie Award

For the third year in a row, North Carolina's Janelle Bailey has been named one of 10 finalists for the Lisa Leslie Award, which is presented annually to the nation's top center. Bailey, from Charlotte, N.C., is averaging 14.1 points and 8.3 rebounds, both team highs, for the Tar Heels.

With a double-double on Thursday against Florida State, she now has 41 for her career, which ranks third among all active Division I players. She also ranks 17^th in career points and sixth in career rebounds, and she's the highest-ranked ACC player in each of those three categories.

UNC's next game will feature anther of the top 10 candidates, NC State's Elissa Cunane. The Tar Heels and Wolfpack face off Sunday at 2 p.m. at Carmichael.

The Lisa Leslie Award list will be trimmed to five finalists in March and the 2021 winner will be announced on April 9, along with the four other members of the Women's Starting Five.

Named for Leslie, a three-time All-America selection and the 1994 National Player of the Year at Southern California, the annual award, now in its fourth year, recognizes the top centers in women's NCAA Division I college basketball.

The winner of the 2021 Lisa Leslie Center Award will be presented April 9, 2021, along with the four other members of the Women's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award, the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard Award, the Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award and the Katrina McClain Power Forward Award, in addition to the Men's Starting Five. College basketball fans can support their favorite players by participating in Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies.

Previous winners of the Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award include Aliyah Boston, South Carolina (2020), Megan Gustafson, Iowa (2019) and A'ja Wilson, South Carolina (2018). For more information on the 2021 Lisa Leslie Award and the latest updates, go hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #LeslieAward on Twitter and Instagram.

2021 Lisa Leslie Award Top 10 Candidates*

Queen Egbo	Baylor
Olivia Nelson-Ododa	Connecticut
Ayoka Lee	Kansas State
Elissa Cunane	NC State
Janelle Bailey	North Carolina
Shakira Austin	Ole Miss
Nancy Mulkey	Rice
Aliyah Boston	South Carolina
Kamilla Cardoso	Syracuse
Charli Collier	Texas

*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2020-21 season

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University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Janelle Bailey

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