Jackson Again A Finalist For Cheryl Miller Award

SPRINGFIELD, Mass -- The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, in partnership with the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), announced the five finalists for the 2024 Cheryl Miller Award, and Tennessee's Rickea Jackson is a finalist for the second year in a row.

The Cheryl Miller Award, in its seventh year, honors the top small forwards in women's Division I women's college basketball. It is named after the three-time Naismith Player of the Year and Class of 1995 Hall of Famer.

Joining Jackson on the list are Madison Booker of Texas, Cotie McMahon of Ohio State, Aneesah Morrow of LSU and Alyssa Ustby of North Carolina.

Jackson leads Tennessee and ranks second in the SEC this season in scoring at 19.7 points per game (19.9 in SEC play) and contributes a team-high 7.9 rebounds per contest while adding 2.2 assists per outing. She is shooting 46.7 percent from the field and 76.1 percent from the free throw line after overcoming an early-season injury that sidelined her for eight games. Jackson also is tied for the team lead in charges taken with five.

In match-ups against ranked teams, Jackson has elevated her play even more, putting up 23.8 ppg. and 10.3 rpg. in those contests. Over UT's last five outings, which have included a pair of meetings with No. 1 South Carolina and one with No. 9 LSU, the Big Orange star has averaged 23.0 ppg. and 7.4 rpg. while shooting 50 percent from the field and 75 percent from the charity stripe.

A native of Detroit, Jackson has recorded three double-doubles this season and nine games with 20 or more points scored. The latter number has increased her two-year total on Rocky Top to 25, which ranks as the fifth-best ever by a Lady Vol behind only program legends Chamique Holdsclaw, Bridgette Gordon, Candace Parker and Tamika Catchings.

Also reflective of her scoring prowess, Jackson has tallied 1,065 points in only 55 games at Tennessee, ranking No. 46 on a list that primarily features players who spent three or four seasons in Knoxville. For career point production, she has generated 2,150 in 122 collegiate contests, ranking sixth among anyone who has played at UT, including transfers. In recent games, she passed Tamika Catchings (2,113) and Candace Parker (2,137) and ranks behind only Cindy Brogdon (3,204), Chamique Holdsclaw (3,025), Jill Rankin (2,851), Bridgette Gordon (2,462) and Patricia Roberts (2,447).

Fans can support their favorite player by participating in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, starting Friday, March 8, on hoophallawards.com. The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.

Later this month, the finalists will be presented to Miller and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. The Selection Committee for the Cheryl Miller Award is composed of top women's college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers.

The winner of the 2024 Miller Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the other four members of the Women's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Award (Point Guard), Ann Meyers Drysdale Award (Shooting Guard), Katrina McClain Award (Power Forward) and the Lisa Leslie Award (Center).

Previous winners of the Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Award are Ashley Joens, Iowa State (2021-23), Satou Sabally, Oregon (2020), Bridget Carleton, Iowa State (2019), and Gabby Williams, Connecticut (2018).

For more information on the 2024 Cheryl Miller Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #MillerAward on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.

University of Tennessee | Official Athletics Site

Players Mentioned

Rickea Jackson

Related Videos