Two Tennessee women’s basketball players were named to the 2025-26 John R. Wooden Award, presented by Principal, Women’s Top 25 Midseason Watch List.
Janiah Barker and Talaysia Cooper were named to the list, announced Wednesday by the Los Angeles Athletic Club.
Advertisement
The list was selected by a poll of college basketball experts. It includes 25 student-athletes who are frontrunners for the most prestigious honors in college basketball, the Wooden Award All-American Team and the Wooden Award Most Outstanding Player. The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2026 John R. Wooden Player of the Year. Players not selected for the list remain eligible for inclusion on the Wooden Award midseason, late-season list and the final ballot.
The national ballot includes the 15 top players who have demonstrated to their universities that they meet or exceed Wooden Award qualifications. The award is celebrating its 50th season.
Barker and Cooper helped Tennessee to a 10-3 start (2-0 SEC) this season.
Cooper is averaging 14.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.4 steals per game, while Barker is averaging 14.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest. She has scored 10-plus points in 10 of the Lady Vols’ 13 games this season.
Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: Janiah Barker, Talaysia Cooper named to Wooden Award Top 25 Watch List
