Junior Sophie Cunningham was named to the first-ever Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association 2018 Cheryl Miller Award watch list on Wednesday morning.
The award is in its inaugural year and recognizes the top small forward in women’s college basketball.
Cunningham was one of 20 players named on the watch list that includes three of her Southeastern Conference counterparts: Alabama’s Hannah Cook, LSU’s Raigyne Louis and Tennessee’s Jaime Nared.
Cunningham received the recognition after leading the Tigers in scoring last year with 17.5 points per game. She also earned All-SEC first team and All-America Honorable Mention honors in her sophomore season as well as being named to the preseason All-SEC first team by coaches and media for this upcoming season.
Cunningham and the women’s basketball team will start their season Friday against Western Kentucky in the Hawkeye Challenge in Iowa City, Iowa.
_Edited by Eli Lederman | elederman@themaneater.com_