Cochran, Curry and Jefferson Earn Preseason ACC Accolades
October 26, 2023 | Women's Basketball
Cochran named to All-ACC Team, Curry and Jefferson to Newcomer Watch List
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Atlantic Coast Conference announced its preseason awards and the Cardinals were well represented Thursday evening. Senior Olivia Cochran was named to the Blue Ribbon Panel Preseason All-ACC Team while transfers Jayda Curry and Kiki Jefferson were both named to the Newcomer Watch List.
The Cardinals as a team were selected to finish fourth in the conference. Since the Cardinals joined the ACC in the 2014-15 season, they have finished in the Top-4 of the league each season. The Cardinals are the only team in the ACC to finish in the Top-4 in each of the last nine seasons.
Cochran has played 100 games in her Louisville career and made 95 starts. She was recently named to the 2024 Katrina McClain Award Watch List for the third-straight season. She was one of just five players that have been on the list in each of the last two seasons. Cochran started all four games and helped the Cardinals clinch the gold medal at the 2023 GLOBL JAM tournament in Toronto.
Cochran had one of the best games of her career in the Elite Eight last season as she tallied a career-high 20 points to go with 14 rebounds. The 14 rebounds were tied for fifth-best in program history in an NCAA Tournament game. Cochran was named Second Team All-ACC Tournament team after scoring in double figures in all three games and helped lead the Cardinals to their fourth ACC title game in the last nine seasons.
This is the first time that the Cardinals have had two members on the Newcomer Watch List since they joined the league. Curry and Jefferson both started all four games and won the gold medal with the Cardinals at the 2023 GLOBL JAM in Toronto.
Curry comes to the Cardinals after two seasons at Cal Berkeley. In her first season at Cal, she was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and earned All-Conference honors by the media after becoming the first freshmen in Pac-12 history to lead the league in scoring (18.6 ppg). This past season with the Golden Bears, she was named All-Pac-12 First Team by the media and honorable mention All-Pac-12 by the coaches for the second-straight season.
In her most recent season at Cal, she led the Golden Bears in scoring (15.5 per game) and minutes played (32.9 per game) while she was second on the team with 106 assists on the season (3.5 per game). She started all 30 games and the 15.5 points per game ranked sixth in the conference and was the highest among all Pac-12 sophomores. She eclipsed the 500 point mark for her career in just 29 games, the second-fastest to do so in Cal program history.
Jefferson 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.
The Cardinals open the 2023-24 season on the road at Cincinnati on Monday, November 6. The home opener will be later that week on Sunday, November 12 against DePaul.
The Cardinals as a team were selected to finish fourth in the conference. Since the Cardinals joined the ACC in the 2014-15 season, they have finished in the Top-4 of the league each season. The Cardinals are the only team in the ACC to finish in the Top-4 in each of the last nine seasons.
Cochran has played 100 games in her Louisville career and made 95 starts. She was recently named to the 2024 Katrina McClain Award Watch List for the third-straight season. She was one of just five players that have been on the list in each of the last two seasons. Cochran started all four games and helped the Cardinals clinch the gold medal at the 2023 GLOBL JAM tournament in Toronto.
Cochran had one of the best games of her career in the Elite Eight last season as she tallied a career-high 20 points to go with 14 rebounds. The 14 rebounds were tied for fifth-best in program history in an NCAA Tournament game. Cochran was named Second Team All-ACC Tournament team after scoring in double figures in all three games and helped lead the Cardinals to their fourth ACC title game in the last nine seasons.
This is the first time that the Cardinals have had two members on the Newcomer Watch List since they joined the league. Curry and Jefferson both started all four games and won the gold medal with the Cardinals at the 2023 GLOBL JAM in Toronto.
Curry comes to the Cardinals after two seasons at Cal Berkeley. In her first season at Cal, she was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and earned All-Conference honors by the media after becoming the first freshmen in Pac-12 history to lead the league in scoring (18.6 ppg). This past season with the Golden Bears, she was named All-Pac-12 First Team by the media and honorable mention All-Pac-12 by the coaches for the second-straight season.
In her most recent season at Cal, she led the Golden Bears in scoring (15.5 per game) and minutes played (32.9 per game) while she was second on the team with 106 assists on the season (3.5 per game). She started all 30 games and the 15.5 points per game ranked sixth in the conference and was the highest among all Pac-12 sophomores. She eclipsed the 500 point mark for her career in just 29 games, the second-fastest to do so in Cal program history.
Jefferson 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.
The Cardinals open the 2023-24 season on the road at Cincinnati on Monday, November 6. The home opener will be later that week on Sunday, November 12 against DePaul.
Players Mentioned
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