The finalists for the awards presented to Mississippi’s top college basketball players have been announced.
Beginning with the Gillom Trophy, which is awarded annually to the most outstanding women’s player in the state, the three finalists are Jessika Carter of Mississippi State, Domonique Davis of Southern Miss, and Marquesha Davis of Ole Miss.
Carter, a graduate forward who narrowly missed out on the award last year, is averaging 15.2 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game. The Lady Bulldogs (20-9, 7-7 SEC) are seventh in the SEC and projected by ESPN as a 9 seed for the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
Domonique, a senior guard earning her second Gillom finalist nod, is averaging 19.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. The Lady Eagles (16-11, 9-7 Sun Belt) are sixth in the Sun Belt and will need a big conference tournament if they want to make it to the Big Dance.
Marquesha, a senior guard, is averaging 13.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game. The Lady Rebels (20-7, 10-4 SEC) have used a four-game winning streak to go from one of the first four teams out of the NCAA Tournament to jump up to a projected 7 seed.
Moving along to the Howell Trophy, awarded each year to the most outstanding men’s player in the state, the three finalists are Josh Hubbard of Mississippi State, Matthew Murrell of Ole Miss, and Austin Crowley of Southern Miss.
Hubbard, arguably the best freshman in the SEC, is averaging 15.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. Coming off a big week, Mississippi State (19-8, 8-6 SEC) has its invitation to the NCAA Tournament all but written, with ESPN projecting the Bulldogs as an 8 seed.
Murrell, a senior guard earning his second Howell finalist nod, is averaging 17.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game as Ole Miss (19-8, 6-8 SEC) is on the outside looking with four regular season games remaining. The Rebels will need to win three of the next four plus one or two in the SEC Tournament if they want to nail down a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.
Crowley, an Ole Miss transfer who has made a home out of Hattiesburg, is averaging 16.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game in his second year at Southern Miss (16-13, 9-7 Sun Belt). The senior guard and his teammates will need to win the conference tournament if they want a chance at the dance. Like Murrell, Crowley is also vying for the Howell Trophy for the second year in a row.
Both the Gillom and Howell Trophies will be awarded on March 11 at the Golden Moon Casino at Pearl River Resort.
About the Gillom & Howell Trophies
The Gillom Trophy is named after Peggie Gillom-Granderson, Ole Miss’ all-time leading scorer and rebounder. She coached in the WNBA and the Olympics and retired after a seven-year stint as associate head coach of the women’s basketball team at Ole Miss.
The Howell Trophy is named after Bailey Howell, a two-time All-American at Mississippi State and a six-time NBA All-Star who played on Boston Celtics world championship teams in 1968 and 1969. Howell, a 1977 inductee to the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and the first male Mississippi player inducted into the National Basketball Hall of Fame, still holds nearly a dozen records at Mississippi State.
