University of Tennessee Athletics
Cooper Named To Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Midseason Watch List
February 12, 2025 | Women's Basketball
Tennessee's Talaysia Cooper is now in contention for a fourth postseason national honor, as the Naismith Awards announced Wednesday that she is on the 2025 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Women's College Player of the Year Midseason Team.
This marks the third player of the year watch list and the fourth major award for which Cooper is being considered. She previously was named to the John R. Wooden Award Late Midseason Watch List and the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Midseason Watch List as well as the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List.
Cooper, a 6-foot redshirt sophomore guard, leads the No. 15/16 Lady Vols and is eighth in the SEC in points per game (17.5) and also paces the team in rebounds per game (6.0), steals per game (3.2) and blocks per game (0.8) while hitting 46 percent from the field. She also tops her squad with 10 quarters where she personally scored 10 or more points and is second in assists per contest (3.3).
She has 10 20+ scoring efforts, tallying 20 or more points in five straight contests from Nov. 16 to Dec. 14, including 33 vs. Liberty, 20 vs. Western Carolina, 22 vs. Florida State, 23 vs. Iowa and 21 vs. N.C. Central. She added other 20+ efforts with 24 vs. Richmond and LSU, 20 at Arkansas, 22 at Vanderbilt and a personal SEC-high 27 at Missouri to become only the 19th player in program history to card 10 or more games of 20+ points in a single season.
The Turbeville, S.C., native is ranked No. 7 nationally in steals per game at 3.22 and No. 9 in total steals with 74, standing No. 1 in the SEC in each category. Cooper had a career-high nine steals vs. Oklahoma, tying Holly Warlick for third in school history (9, 1/24/79 at LSU). She also had seven vs. Samford, six vs. Missouri, five vs. N.C. Central, Richmond and Winthrop, and four vs. Middle Tennessee, Memphis and Arkansas.
This marks the third player of the year watch list and the fourth major award for which Cooper is being considered. She previously was named to the John R. Wooden Award Late Midseason Watch List and the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Midseason Watch List as well as the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List.
Cooper, a 6-foot redshirt sophomore guard, leads the No. 15/16 Lady Vols and is eighth in the SEC in points per game (17.5) and also paces the team in rebounds per game (6.0), steals per game (3.2) and blocks per game (0.8) while hitting 46 percent from the field. She also tops her squad with 10 quarters where she personally scored 10 or more points and is second in assists per contest (3.3).
She has 10 20+ scoring efforts, tallying 20 or more points in five straight contests from Nov. 16 to Dec. 14, including 33 vs. Liberty, 20 vs. Western Carolina, 22 vs. Florida State, 23 vs. Iowa and 21 vs. N.C. Central. She added other 20+ efforts with 24 vs. Richmond and LSU, 20 at Arkansas, 22 at Vanderbilt and a personal SEC-high 27 at Missouri to become only the 19th player in program history to card 10 or more games of 20+ points in a single season.
The Turbeville, S.C., native is ranked No. 7 nationally in steals per game at 3.22 and No. 9 in total steals with 74, standing No. 1 in the SEC in each category. Cooper had a career-high nine steals vs. Oklahoma, tying Holly Warlick for third in school history (9, 1/24/79 at LSU). She also had seven vs. Samford, six vs. Missouri, five vs. N.C. Central, Richmond and Winthrop, and four vs. Middle Tennessee, Memphis and Arkansas.
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