The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association just named Elizabeth Balogun to the Cheryl Miller Award watch list.
👀 𝙀𝙇𝙄𝙕𝘼𝘽𝙀𝙏𝙃 𝘽𝘼𝙇𝙊𝙂𝙐𝙉 👀
Cheryl Miller Award Watch List🔗: https://t.co/gL4ASoe4Zc#GoCards pic.twitter.com/DlE5sSLHEh
— Louisville WBB (@UofLWBB) November 11, 2020
Balogun, who transferred from Georgia Tech, is a highly skilled guard/forward that creates matchup nightmares for both the opposing players and coaches.
Elizabeth Balogun is looking to improve on last year’s play when she averaged 8.1ppg, 4.6rpg, and 1.6apg. It is worth noting that Balogun did miss a couple of games (which Louisville lost) while she helped the Nigerian National team qualify for the 2020 Olympics.
As a freshman at Georgia Tech, Balogun averaged 14.6ppg (led all ACC freshman) and 5.0rpg on her way to being named 2018-2019 ACC Freshman of the Year.
The Cheryl Miller Award is given to the best small forward in women’s basketball. Cheryl Miller is a 1995 Hall of Farmer and widely known as Reggie Miller’s big sister. She is also known as one of the best college basketball players in the history of the sport (men or women). This is the fourth year the award will be given out.
Cheryl Miller played her college basketball at USC and won the National title back to back in 1983 & 1984. Miller also won the Naismith POY a miraculous three times (1984-1986). Miller was a four time All-American and an Olympic Gold Medalist in 1984. Cheryl Miller would’ve definitely been one of the greatest female basketball players of all-time had she not suffered multiple knee injuries.
Elizabeth Balogun winning this award would be an amazing achievement for her, but I’m sure if you asked any of her teammates and coaches Balogun definitely has the tools and skillset to win the award.
To read more about Balogun’s inclusion on this watch list, read UofL’s press release below.
PRESS RELEASE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT:
Elizabeth Balogun Named to Miller Award Watch List
Balogun is one of three ACC players named to the list.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 11, 2020
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The Naismith MemorialBasketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announcedtoday that University of Louisville women’s basketball junior Elizabeth Balogun is one of 20 watch list candidates for the 2021 Cheryl MillerAward.
She is one of three players from the Atlantic Coast Conference to be named to the list, joined by Boston College’s Taylor Soule and Wake Forest’s Ivana Raca.
Earlier this week, freshman Hailey Van Lith was named to the Nancy Lieberman Watch List and senior Dana Evans was named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Watch List.
Named after the three-time Naismith Player of the Year and Class of 1995 Hall of Famer, the annual award in its fourth year recognizes the top small forwards in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball. A national committee of topcollege basketball personnel determined thewatch list of 20 candidates.
“Cheryl Miller has long been recognized as one of the greats of our game, dominating at USC and winning two NCAA Championships,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “The student-athletes named to the Cheryl Miller Award watch list should feel very proud. As a reminder, players can play their way on to the list at any point in the season and Cheryl and our selection committed are dedicated to evaluating talent throughout the season. As we return to basketball, we’re excited to see what the 2020-21 season brings.”
College basketball fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. In early February, the watch list of 20 players forthe 2021 Cheryl Miller Award will be narrowed tojust 10. In early March, five finalists will bepresented to Ms. Miller and the Hall of Fame’sselection committee.
The winner of the 2021 Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award will be presented on Friday, April 9, 2021, along with the other four members of the Women’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award, the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard Award, the Katrina McClain Power Forward Award, and the Lisa Leslie Center Award, in addition to the Men’s Starting Five.
Previous winners of the Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Award include Satou Sabally, Oregon (2020), Bridget Carleton, Iowa State (2019) and Gabby Williams, Connecticut (2018).
For more information on the 2021 Cheryl MillerAward and the latest updates, log ontowww.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #MillerAward on Twitter and Instagram. Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on Friday, November 13.
2021 Cheryl Miller Award Candidates*
| Taylor Soule | Boston College |
| Summer Hemphill | Buffalo |
| Evina Westbrook | Connecticut |
| Aubrey Griffin | Connecticut |
| Grace Berger | Indiana |
| Ashley Joens | Iowa State |
| Rhyne Howard | Kentucky |
| Elizabeth Balogun | Louisville |
| Angel Reese | Maryland |
| Rickea Jackson | Mississippi State |
| Erica Johnson | Ohio |
| Erin Boley | Oregon |
| Brea Beal | South Carolina |
| Haley Jones | Stanford |
| Mia Davis | Temple |
| Rennia Davis | Tennessee |
| Kayla Wells | Texas A&M |
| Vivian Gray | Texas Tech |
| Michaela Onyenwere | UCLA |
| Ivana Raca | Wake Forest |
*Players can play their way onto and off of thelist at any point in the 2020-21 season
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 medal 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 as the best male or female player in college basketball. In a spectacular career, Miller scored 3,018 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:www.WBCA.org, follow @wbca1981 or call 1-770-279-8027.
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame:
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Memorial 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, visitwww.hoophall.com, follow @hoophall or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.
