Laura Ziegler Named to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Watch List
November 18, 2025 | Women's Basketball
This is the fourth watch list Ziegler has been named to this season
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — University of Louisville senior forward Laura Ziegler was named to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Watch List, the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced Tuesday afternoon. This is the fourth watch list Ziegler has been named to this season.
Ziegler has impressed in her first season with the Cardinals after transferring from Saint Joseph's. Through the first four games, she leads the team with 14.3 points per game and 11.3 rebounds per game and is second on the squad with 2.3 assists per game. She has tallied two double-doubles in four games this season.
In her debut against No. 1 UConn, she led the way with 16 points and a career-best 18 rebounds. The 18 rebounds were the most by a player against UConn since 2003. The 18 rebounds are also the most by any player in the country this season against a Top 10 team. In the ACC opener against Clemson this past Sunday, Ziegler had a team-best 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Ziegler has led the Cardinals in rebounding in all four games this season. She has tallied 10 or more rebounds in three of the four games.
About the John R. Wooden Award®
Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award Program hosts the most prestigious honors in college basketball, recognizing the Wooden Award Most Outstanding Player for men and women, the Wooden Award All-America Teams for men and women, and the annual selection of the Wooden Award Legends of Coaching recipient.
Honorees are certified by their universities as meeting Wooden Award standards established by Coach Wooden, including progress toward graduation and at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA. Past winners include Larry Bird 1979, Michael Jordan 1984, Tim Duncan 1997, Kevin Durant 2007, Candace Parker 2007 and 2008, Maya Moore 2009 and 2011, Chiney Ogwumike 2014, and last year's recipients Juju Watkins of USC and Cooper Flagg of Duke.
Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed nearly one million dollars to universities' general scholarship funds and nonprofit enterprises in the names of the Wooden Award All-American recipients, and has sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps.
The John R. Wooden Award partners with Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) each year to host the Wooden Award Special Olympics Southern California Basketball Tournament. The day-long event brings together Special Olympics athletes, Wooden Award All-Americans, and attending coaches. It is hosted at the Los Angeles Athletic Club during John R. Wooden Award Weekend.
The mission of the John R. Wooden Award Foundation (JRWAF) is to promote teamwork, academic excellence, and character development, reflecting the enduring values of John R. Wooden. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the JRWAF serves as an angel organization, independently guiding the funding of educational, athletic, and philanthropic initiatives. A dedicated board of directors leads the Foundation's efforts, committed to advancing John R. Wooden's legacy and the timeless principles of his Pyramid of Success.
The Legends of Coaching Award will be presented alongside the Wooden Award Men's and Women's Players of the Year on Friday, April 10, 2026, at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.
Ziegler has impressed in her first season with the Cardinals after transferring from Saint Joseph's. Through the first four games, she leads the team with 14.3 points per game and 11.3 rebounds per game and is second on the squad with 2.3 assists per game. She has tallied two double-doubles in four games this season.
In her debut against No. 1 UConn, she led the way with 16 points and a career-best 18 rebounds. The 18 rebounds were the most by a player against UConn since 2003. The 18 rebounds are also the most by any player in the country this season against a Top 10 team. In the ACC opener against Clemson this past Sunday, Ziegler had a team-best 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Ziegler has led the Cardinals in rebounding in all four games this season. She has tallied 10 or more rebounds in three of the four games.
About the John R. Wooden Award®
Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award Program hosts the most prestigious honors in college basketball, recognizing the Wooden Award Most Outstanding Player for men and women, the Wooden Award All-America Teams for men and women, and the annual selection of the Wooden Award Legends of Coaching recipient.
Honorees are certified by their universities as meeting Wooden Award standards established by Coach Wooden, including progress toward graduation and at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA. Past winners include Larry Bird 1979, Michael Jordan 1984, Tim Duncan 1997, Kevin Durant 2007, Candace Parker 2007 and 2008, Maya Moore 2009 and 2011, Chiney Ogwumike 2014, and last year's recipients Juju Watkins of USC and Cooper Flagg of Duke.
Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed nearly one million dollars to universities' general scholarship funds and nonprofit enterprises in the names of the Wooden Award All-American recipients, and has sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps.
The John R. Wooden Award partners with Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) each year to host the Wooden Award Special Olympics Southern California Basketball Tournament. The day-long event brings together Special Olympics athletes, Wooden Award All-Americans, and attending coaches. It is hosted at the Los Angeles Athletic Club during John R. Wooden Award Weekend.
The mission of the John R. Wooden Award Foundation (JRWAF) is to promote teamwork, academic excellence, and character development, reflecting the enduring values of John R. Wooden. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the JRWAF serves as an angel organization, independently guiding the funding of educational, athletic, and philanthropic initiatives. A dedicated board of directors leads the Foundation's efforts, committed to advancing John R. Wooden's legacy and the timeless principles of his Pyramid of Success.
The Legends of Coaching Award will be presented alongside the Wooden Award Men's and Women's Players of the Year on Friday, April 10, 2026, at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.
Players Mentioned
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