Springfield, Mass. (Oct. 19, 2022) — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced today the 20 watch-list candidates for the 2023 Cheryl Miller Award. Named after the three-time Naismith Player of the Year and Class of 1995 Hall of Famer, the annual award in its sixth 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.
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“We are extremely proud of the work ethic and dedication shown by the student athletes on the Cheryl Miller Award Watch LIST,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “After her dominant career at USC and winning a pair of NCAA Championships, Cheryl is one of the greatest to play our game. We are honored to be working alongside her throughout the 2022-23 season.”
| PLAYER NAME | SCHOOL |
|---|---|
| Aijha Blackwell | Baylor |
| Elizabeth Balogun | Duke |
| Jordyn Merritt | Florida |
| Grace Berger | Indiana |
| Ashley Joens | Iowa State |
| Morgan Jones | Louisville |
| Shyanne Sellers | Maryland |
| Mimi Collins | NC State |
| Skyler Gill | North Alabama |
| Alyssa Ustby | North Carolina |
| Madi Williams | Oklahoma |
| Lior Garzon | Oklahoma State |
| Brea Beal | South Carolina |
| Myah Selland | South Dakota State |
| Haley Jones | Stanford |
| Rickea Jackson | Tennessee |
| Shay Holle | Texas |
| Caroline Ducharme | UConn |
| Gianna Kneepkens | Utah |
| Taylor Soule | Virginia Tech |
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Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds starting Friday, October 21. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2023 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 2023 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.
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Previous winners of the Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Award are Ashley Joens, Iowa State (2021-22), Satou Sabally, Oregon (2020), Bridget Carleton, Iowa State (2019) and Gabby Williams, Connecticut (2018).
For more information on the 2023 Cheryl Miller Award and the latest updates, visit and follow and #MillerAward on Twitter and Instagram.
