Kiki Jefferson Named to Cheryl Miller Award Watch List
October 18, 2023 | Women's Basketball
Jefferson is one of 20 watch list candidates for the 2023 Cheryl Miller Award
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association announced today that University of Louisville women's basketball graduate student Kiki Jefferson is one of 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.
Jefferson comes to the Cards from James Madison, where she played the first four years of her collegiate career. She was a standout with James Madison and her name is littered throughout the Dukes record book after her four years. She finished her career at JMU ranking second in career free throws made (550), fifth in scoring average (15.8), sixth all-time in points (1,838), tied for sixth in free throw percentage (80.2), ninth in rebounds (815), tied for ninth in made field goals (518), and tied for 10th in three-point percentage (33.9).
In her final season with the Dukes, she was named the Sun Belt Player of the Year, First Team All-Sun Belt and earned Sun Belt Tournament Most Outstanding Player as she led James Madison to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016. Jefferson led the Sun Belt Conference in scoring at 18.3 points per game, while pulling down 8.1 rebounds per outing, good for fifth in the league.
Jefferson has already been on the court for the Cardinals when they competed at the 2023 GLOBL JAM tournament in Toronto this past July. She started all four games during the tournament and helped the Cardinals win the gold medal over the hosts, Team Canada. Jefferson tallied a game-high 19 points against Canada during the group stage game.
2024 Cheryl Miller Award Candidates*
Aijha Blackwell, Baylor
Lior Garzon, Oklahoma State
Yarden Garzon, Indiana
Madison Scott, Ole Miss
Kiki Jefferson, Louisville
Kennedy Todd-Williams, Ole Miss
Aneesah Morrow, LSU
Grace VanSlooten, Oregon
Jordan King, Marquette
Rickea Jackson, Tennessee
Jakia Brown-Turner, Maryland
Aicha Coulibaly, Texas A&M
Mara Braun, Minnesota
Jordyn Merritt, Texas Tech
Alyssa Ustby, North Carolina
Caroline Ducharme, UConn
Cotie McMahon, Ohio State
Azzi Fudd, UConn
Skylar Vann, Oklahoma
McKenzie Forbes, USC
*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.
About the WBCA
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. The WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to those organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. For more information, visit us online: WBCA.org, follow @wbca1981 or call 1-770-279-8027.
About the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game's elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit hoophall.com, follow @hoophall or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.
Basketball Hall of Fame Media Contact
Patrick O'Connell, Position Sports // mediarelations@positionsports.com
Jefferson comes to the Cards from James Madison, where she played the first four years of her collegiate career. She was a standout with James Madison and her name is littered throughout the Dukes record book after her four years. She finished her career at JMU ranking second in career free throws made (550), fifth in scoring average (15.8), sixth all-time in points (1,838), tied for sixth in free throw percentage (80.2), ninth in rebounds (815), tied for ninth in made field goals (518), and tied for 10th in three-point percentage (33.9).
In her final season with the Dukes, she was named the Sun Belt Player of the Year, First Team All-Sun Belt and earned Sun Belt Tournament Most Outstanding Player as she led James Madison to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016. Jefferson led the Sun Belt Conference in scoring at 18.3 points per game, while pulling down 8.1 rebounds per outing, good for fifth in the league.
Jefferson has already been on the court for the Cardinals when they competed at the 2023 GLOBL JAM tournament in Toronto this past July. She started all four games during the tournament and helped the Cardinals win the gold medal over the hosts, Team Canada. Jefferson tallied a game-high 19 points against Canada during the group stage game.
2024 Cheryl Miller Award Candidates*
Aijha Blackwell, Baylor
Lior Garzon, Oklahoma State
Yarden Garzon, Indiana
Madison Scott, Ole Miss
Kiki Jefferson, Louisville
Kennedy Todd-Williams, Ole Miss
Aneesah Morrow, LSU
Grace VanSlooten, Oregon
Jordan King, Marquette
Rickea Jackson, Tennessee
Jakia Brown-Turner, Maryland
Aicha Coulibaly, Texas A&M
Mara Braun, Minnesota
Jordyn Merritt, Texas Tech
Alyssa Ustby, North Carolina
Caroline Ducharme, UConn
Cotie McMahon, Ohio State
Azzi Fudd, UConn
Skylar Vann, Oklahoma
McKenzie Forbes, USC
*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.
About the WBCA
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. The WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to those organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. For more information, visit us online: WBCA.org, follow @wbca1981 or call 1-770-279-8027.
About the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game's elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit hoophall.com, follow @hoophall or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.
Basketball Hall of Fame Media Contact
Patrick O'Connell, Position Sports // mediarelations@positionsports.com
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