Jespersen Lands on Cheryl Miller Award Watch List
TAMPA, NOV. 8, 2017 – The American Athletic Conference Most Improved Player of the Year,
Maria Jespersen, has left a lasting impact on the national landscape as the USF senior was named to the 2018 Cheryl Miller Award watch list the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Wednesday. Jespersen is one of 20 watch list candidates.
The Cheryl Miller Award is named after the three-time Naismith Player of the Year. The annual award, in its inaugural year, recognizes the top small forwards in women's NCAA Division I college basketball.
"Cheryl Miller was an unstoppable force on the court, legendarily scoring more than 100 points in a single high school game," said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. "At USC, Cheryl continued her dominance winning two NCAA Championships. When it comes to small forwards, no one has done it better and the young women recognized on this list should be honored to be associated with one of the game's all-time greats."
Jespersen (Arhus, Denmark) was an American preseason all-conference honoree and led the Bulls in rebounds with 9.0 rebounds per game last season. The forward averaged a team second-best 14.7 points per game. Jespersen turned in 11 double-double performances and scored her career-high 26 points on four different occasions. Jespersen was a WBCA All-Region 3 honoree as a junior and landed on the league's all-conference first team.
The winner of the 2018 Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award will be announced during ESPN2's telecast of the national semifinal games in the 2018 NCAA Women's Final Four in Columbus, Ohio on Friday, March 30. 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, as well as the Wade Trophy, the sport's oldest and most prestigious national player of the year award.
For more information on the 2018 Cheryl Miller Award, visit
http://www.hoophallawards.com.
USF opens its season Friday, Nov. 10 at the USF Sun Dome Arena. The Bulls host LSU at 5:30 p.m.
2018 Cheryl Miller Award Candidates
| Hannah Cook |
Alabama |
| Gabby Williams |
Connecticut |
| Shakayla Thomas |
Florida St. |
| Jill Barta |
Gonzaga |
| Amanda Cahill |
Indiana |
| Bridget Carleton |
Iowa St |
| Raigyne Louis |
LSU |
| Erika Davenport |
Marquette |
| Brianna Fraser |
Maryland |
| Branndais Agee |
Michigan St |
| Sophie Cunningham |
Missouri |
| Liza Fruendt |
Missouri St. |
| Stephanie Mavunga |
Ohio State |
| Maddie Manning |
Oklahoma |
| Maria Jespersen |
South Florida |
| Jaime Nared |
Tennessee |
| Ariel Atkins |
Texas |
| Kennedy Burke |
UCLA |
| Teana Muldrow |
West Virginia |
| Cayla McMorris |
Wisconsin |
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2017-18 season*
Season tickets are available for purchase, along with three- and five-game flex plans. Reserve your seats at USFBullsTix.com or by calling 1-800-Go-Bulls.
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF women's basketball news, follow the Bulls on social media (
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USF notched its fifth consecutive 20-win season. The Bulls tallied its 20th win in their 24th contest of the season which tied the fastest any program has reached 20 wins. This is the eighth 20-win season in program history and head coach Jose Fernandez has been at the helm for all eight 20-win seasons. The 2014-15 team reached 20 wins in 24 games, and still currently holds the best record for most wins in a season (27).
USF has made 13 postseason tournament appearances and had five NCAA Tournament berths in Head Coach Jose Fernandez's 17 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to eight 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship and won more than 300 games.
– #GoBulls –
