Photo by: Rachel Klotz | Louisville Athletics
Kiki Jefferson Named to Cheryl Miller Award Top 10 List
January 24, 2024 | Women's Basketball
Jefferson leads the Cards with 12.2 points per game
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — University of Louisville graduate transfer Kiki Jefferson was named to the Top 10 List for the 2024 Cheryl Miller Award, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced this afternoon. 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. It is the second time in the last three seasons the Cardinals have had a representative on the Miller Award Top 10 List.
Jefferson has been one of the top scoring options for the Cardinals this season after transferring from James Madison. She leads the team in scoring with 12.2 points per game, is second on the team with 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game and is third in rebounding with 4.1 per game. Jefferson has scored in double figures 13 times and tallied eight or more points in 18 of 19 games this year. She has been a very efficient scorer and has shot 50 percent or better from the floor 12 times this year. Jefferson is one of the best free throw shooters in the country at 89.7 percent (61-for-68), a mark that is second in the ACC and 18th nationally.
Jefferson scored 20 points or more in two straight games to help the Cardinals win the Betty Chancellor Classic back in November. She was one of two players to be named to the Chancellor Classic All-Tournament team following the event. In the road win over Miami, Jefferson eclipsed the 2,000-point mark for her career with a bucket in the first quarter. In the road win last week over Clemson, Jefferson scored 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting and tied a career high with eight assists.
2024 Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Award Candidates*
Yarden Garzon, Indiana
Alyssa Ustby, North Carolina
Kiki Jefferson, Louisville
Cotie McMahon, Ohio State
Aneesah Morrow, LSU
Rickea Jackson, Tennessee
Jordan King, Marquette
Madison Booker, Texas
Mara Braun, Minnesota
McKenzie Forbes, USC
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2023-24 season.
Fans can support their favorite players in the remaining rounds by participating in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, starting Friday, January 26, on hoophallawards.com. The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.
In March, five finalists will be presented to Miller and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. The Selection Committee for the Cheryl Miller Award is composed of top women's college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers.
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.
For more information on the 2024 Cheryl Miller Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophallU and #MillerAward on Twitter and Instagram.
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 has been one of the top scoring options for the Cardinals this season after transferring from James Madison. She leads the team in scoring with 12.2 points per game, is second on the team with 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game and is third in rebounding with 4.1 per game. Jefferson has scored in double figures 13 times and tallied eight or more points in 18 of 19 games this year. She has been a very efficient scorer and has shot 50 percent or better from the floor 12 times this year. Jefferson is one of the best free throw shooters in the country at 89.7 percent (61-for-68), a mark that is second in the ACC and 18th nationally.
Jefferson scored 20 points or more in two straight games to help the Cardinals win the Betty Chancellor Classic back in November. She was one of two players to be named to the Chancellor Classic All-Tournament team following the event. In the road win over Miami, Jefferson eclipsed the 2,000-point mark for her career with a bucket in the first quarter. In the road win last week over Clemson, Jefferson scored 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting and tied a career high with eight assists.
2024 Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Award Candidates*
Yarden Garzon, Indiana
Alyssa Ustby, North Carolina
Kiki Jefferson, Louisville
Cotie McMahon, Ohio State
Aneesah Morrow, LSU
Rickea Jackson, Tennessee
Jordan King, Marquette
Madison Booker, Texas
Mara Braun, Minnesota
McKenzie Forbes, USC
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2023-24 season.
Fans can support their favorite players in the remaining rounds by participating in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, starting Friday, January 26, on hoophallawards.com. The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.
In March, five finalists will be presented to Miller and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. The Selection Committee for the Cheryl Miller Award is composed of top women's college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers.
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.
For more information on the 2024 Cheryl Miller Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophallU and #MillerAward on Twitter and Instagram.
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
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballWBB: Elif Istanbulluoglu & Laura Ziegler Postgame Presser (Virginia 2/22/26)
Sunday, February 22
WBB: Jeff Walz Postgame Presser (Virginia - 2/22/26)
Sunday, February 22
WBB: Jeff Walz Postgame Presser (Florida State - 2/15/26)
Monday, February 16
WBB: Florida State Highlights (2/15/26)
Monday, February 16
