SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced their 20 preseason watch-list candidates for the 2024 Cheryl Miller Award, and 2023 finalist Rickea Jackson of Tennessee is among them.
Named after the three-time Naismith Player of the Year and Class of 1995 Hall of Famer, the annual award, in its seventh year, recognizes the top small forwards in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
Jackson, a 6-foot-2 fifth-year player, is a three-time WBCA All-America Honorable Mention selection, two-time All-SEC & SEC All-Tournament choice, 2023 Cheryl Miller Award finalist and 2021 Cheryl Miller Award semifinalist. She produced 19.2 ppg., 6.1 rpg. and 1.4 apg. in 28.3 minutes per contest a year ago, shooting career bests of 54.8 percent from the field and 79.2 percent from the free-throw line.
During her first year at Tennessee in 2022-23, she finished No. 3 in scoring, No. 4 in field goal percentage, No. 5 in free throw percentage and No. 15 in rebounding in the SEC while accumulating 16 games of 20 points or more to rank No. 9 at UT for both season and career totals. From Feb. 6 to March 4, she tallied eight straight contests of 20+ points, a total surpassed at UT only by four-time All-American Chamique Holdsclaw (9, 1997-98).
Over the summer, Jackson averaged a team-leading 14.6 ppg. and added 4.9 rpg. on the silver medal-winning USA squad at the 2023 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup in León, Mexico. Jackson’s scoring average for the tournament’s youngest team ranked fourth among the 109 players in the event, earning her a spot in the AmeriCup All-Star Five. Her 102 points for the week were the second-most in USA AmeriCup history behind Lisa Leslie (129, 7 games, 1993).
“The student-athletes on the Cheryl Miller Watch List embody many of the same skills and characteristics that carried Cheryl through her dominant career at USC,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. “We are excited to watch the candidates’ seasons unfold and look forward to working with Cheryl and the selection committee throughout the 2023-24 season.”
2024 Cheryl Miller Award Candidates*
Aijha Blackwell, Baylor
Jakia Brown-Turner, Maryland
Mara Braun, Minnesota
Aicha Coulibaly, Texas A&M
Caroline Ducharme, UConn
McKenzie Forbes, USC
Azzi Fudd, UConn
Lior Garzon, Oklahoma State
Yarden Garzon, Indiana
Rickea Jackson, Tennessee
Kiki Jefferson, Louisville
Jordan King, Marquette
Cotie McMahon, Ohio State
Jordyn Merritt, Texas Tech
Aneesah Morrow, LSU
Madison Scott, Ole Miss
Kennedy Todd-Williams, Ole Miss
Alyssa Ustby, North Carolina
Skylar Vann, Oklahoma
Grace VanSlooten, Oregon
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2023-24 season
Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds starting Friday, October 20. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2024 Cheryl Miller Award will be narrowed to 10 and then in late February to just five. In March the five finalists will be presented to Miller and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee, where a winner will be selected.
The winner of the 2024 Cheryl 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), in addition to the Men’s Starting Five.
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 Twitter and Instagram.
About Cheryl Miller
Cheryl Miller took women’s basketball to a new level, literally and figuratively. With her tremendous leaping ability, athletic dexterity, and grace, Miller established a legacy throughout her high school and college career that is unparalleled. Playing for Riverside Polytechnic High School (CA), in 1982, Miller set the single game scoring record of 105 points. As a collegiate forward at the University of Southern California from 1982 to 1986, Miller helped bring women’s basketball to the forefront of American sports. In 1984, she led the Olympic team to gold, averaging more than 16 points per game.
Her superior athletic ability and engaging persona placed her among the elite in the world of college and professional athletics. In 1986, Sports Illustrated named Miller the best male or female player in college basketball. In a spectacular career, Miller scored 3,018 total career points and was a four-time All-America. Miller was named Naismith Player of the Year three times and earned the Wade Trophy once. Miller was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999 and the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2010. Since retiring from professional play, Miller has had a very successful career as a WNBA GM, professional and collegiate coach, and sportscaster for TNT, ESPN and NBC for the 1996 Olympics.