KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced on Wednesday the Top 10 candidates for the 2021 Cheryl Miller Award, and Tennessee’s Rennia Davis has made the cut for the third consecutive season.
Named after the three-time Naismith Player of the Year, the annual award in its fourth year recognizes the top small forwards in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball. To be considered for this prestigious award, candidates must exhibit the intensity, grit and scoring savvy of Class of 1995 Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller.
In March, five finalists will be presented to Ms. 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.
Davis, a 6-foot-2 senior guard/forward from Jacksonville, Fla., is averaging 14.5 points and 8.9 rebounds per game while shooting 47.8 percent from the field and 78.9 percent from the free-throw line. In SEC play, Davis is putting up 17.1 ppg. and 9.7 rpg. while shooting 51.6 percent from the field and 81.0 from the charity stripe. Versus four ranked foes, Davis is even better, averaging a double-double of 17.8 ppg. and 13.8 rpg. while hitting 50.8 percent and 83.3 percent, respectively.
Davis is well on her way to becoming one of only five players who rank in the top 10 in both career scoring and rebounding average at UT, standing 10th (14.8) and sixth (8.0), respectively. The others are Patricia Roberts, Chamique Holdsclaw, Candace Parker and Tamika Catchings. Davis also is on her way to becoming only the 13th UT woman to average double figures in scoring all four years of her career.
Through 15 games this season, Davis leads the team with six double-doubles and has 35 for her career to tie for fifth all-time at Tennessee. She has scored 20+ points on three occasions as a senior, tallying 16 such games during her career to stack up seventh in program annals. Davis also pulled down 20 rebounds vs. No. 12/12 Kentucky on Jan. 24, becoming only the eighth Lady Vol to do that and tying for the fifth-highest total in UT history.
Davis has led No. 18/19 Tennessee to a 12-3 overall record this season with three victories over teams ranked in the top 15. The Lady Vols currently stand one game out of the lead in the SEC standings at 6-1.
The winner of the 2021 Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award will be presented April 9, 2021, along with the four other 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. College basketball fans can support their favorite players by participating in Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies.
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 Miller Award and the latest updates, log onto www.hoophallawards.com
2021 Cheryl Miller Award Candidates*
Grace Berger, Indiana
Ashley Joens, Iowa
Rhyne Howard, Kentucky
Rickea Jackson, Mississippi State
Haley Jones, Stanford
Mia Davis, Temple
Rennia Davis, Tennessee
Vivian Gray, Texas Tech
Michaela Onyenwere, UCLA
Ivana Raca, Wake Forest
*Players can play their way on
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 as 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.
-UT Athletics
