Clara Strack Makes Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Top 10 Midseason List

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Clara Strack has been named to the Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Top 10 Midseason List, it was announced by the Naismith Hall of Fame on Friday.

It’s been a full week for the junior, who was named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Top 25 Watch List and a U.S. Writers Association Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week. She also eclipsed 1,000 career points.

Through 24 games in 2025-26, the versatile center is averaging 16.1 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 2.0 apg, 2.67 bpg (fifth in the nation), 1.33 spg and has made 17 3s.

• She is the only player in the nation averaging all of those stats.
• She is the only player in the nation with at least 16.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg and 2.5 bpg.
• She is one of two players in the nation (and the only player in Power 4) with at least 16.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg and 17 3s.
• She is one of three players in the nation (and one of only two players in Power 4) with at least 16.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg and 2.0 apg.
• She is one of five players in the nation (and the only player in the Power 4) with at least 16.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg and 1.3 spg.

She also has 12 double-doubles this season, which ranks 12th in the nation and third in the Southeastern Conference. She had six double-doubles through the first seven games this season, the first UK player to do that since at least 2002-03.

She is coming off back-to-back dominant double-doubles, putting up 33 points and 15 rebounds at Arkansas last Sunday and 14 points and 15 rebounds against No. 7/8 Vanderbilt on Thursday.

Strack, who was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2024-25, has 64 blocks this season, which is second in the league and fourth in the nation. The 6-5 center, whose presence and defensive footwork forces opponents to take altered shots, is just nine blocks away from tying the single-season school record, which she set as a sophomore last season on 73 blocks.

The Buffalo, New York, native is one of the best passing centers in the nation, too, in part because she is often double-teamed, which gives her the ability to find the open player. Since her first game under head coach Kenny Brooks at UK, she has dished out multiple assists in 36 of her 55 games (65.4%), including 15 of her 24 games (62.5%) in 2025-26.

She is coming off a season-high and SEC career-high seven assists against No. 7/8 Vanderbilt on Thursday.

The Wildcat’s season highs through 24 games include 33 points (at Arkansas), three 3FGM (2x last Florida), 16 rebounds (USC Upstate), seven assists (Vanderbilt), four steals (at Miami) and seven blocks (Hofstra).

Strack is the only player in Division I to have at least 850 points, 550 rebounds, 135 blocks, 125 assists and 55 steals since the start of last season (her first season at UK).

She recently eclipsed 1,000 career points after dropping 33 points at Arkansas last Sunday.

Take a peek at some of Strack’s record games so far in 2025-26:

• Vanderbilt on Feb. 5: She became the second UK player since 2002-03 to have at least 14 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists in a single game (also Jennifer Humphrey).
• at Arkansas on Feb. 1: She became the first player in program history to have at least 33 points and 15 rebounds against a SEC opponent. She also became just the third SEC player to have at least 33 points and 15 rebounds in an SEC road game since 2002-03.
• at Tennessee on Jan. 23: She became the only UK player since at least 2002-03 to have multiple games with at least 15 rebounds against UT (last season and this season). She also has the most rebounds by a UK player against UT in Knoxville since at least 2002-03 (15 rebounds).
• at Mississippi State on Jan. 18: She is the first UK player with at least 10 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks in a single game since Evelyn Akhator vs. Morehead State on Nov. 18, 2015.
• 5/5 Oklahoma on Jan. 11: She became the first SEC player to have at least 18 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks against an SEC opponent ranked the AP Top 5 since South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso vs. No. 3 LSU on Feb. 12, 2023.
• Missouri on Jan. 4: Became the first Kentucky player to have two games with at least 19 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and two steals in a single season since All-American Victoria Dunlap in 2010-11 (Hofstra, Missouri). Also, after making a career-high three 3s and three blocks, she became the first SEC player to have at least three 3s and three blocks in the same game since Aliyah Boston of South Carolina on Dec. 31, 2020.
• Hofstra on Dec. 28: She became the first SEC player to have at least 24 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocks in a single game since Teaira McCowan of Mississippi State on Nov. 6, 2018.
• at No. 21/19 Louisville on Nov. 22: She earned her fifth straight double-double.
• Purdue on Nov. 18: She became the only DI women’s player, since at least 2002-03, to have at least 17 points, 13 rebounds, five blocks, two assists and one made 3 in a single game.
• at Buffalo on Nov. 9: She became the only UK player to have at least 27 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks, two assists and one steal in a game since at least 2002-03. Also in that game, she became just the fourth SEC player to have those numbers in a game since at least 2002-03 (and the first since South Carolina’s Alaina Coates vs. Kentucky on Feb. 4, 2016).

This season, Strack has already hauled in a Wooden Award Top 25 Watch List selection, USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale Player of the Week (Nov. 25), SEC Player of the Week (Nov. 25), 2x Preseason All-SEC candidate, Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Watch List candidate and a Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Watch List candidate.

For more information on the Kentucky women’s basketball team, visit UKathletics.com or follow @KentuckyWBB on X, Instagram, and Facebook.