Mississippi State will look to sweep the awards for the third straight year
Mississippi State is once again well represented for the awards given to the top basketball players in this state, as three Bulldogs will be in Jackson on March 9 when the 2020 CSpire Howell and Gillon Trophies are announced. Representing the men’s team will be sophomore forward Reggie Perry. Perry leads the Bulldogs with 17.9 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, and is likely to be named first team All-SEC at season’s end. He has accumulated 16 double-doubles on the season, scoring a season high 27 points at Florida in the Bulldogs’ comeback victory. Perry has been named SEC Player of the Week twice this season. Perry is nominated alongside Breein Tryee of Ole Miss and Ledarius Woods of Tougaloo College.
For Vic Schaefer’s women’s team, State will feature two of the three finalists, beginning with sophomore center Jessika Carter. Carter has filled the shoes of All-American Teaira McCowan admirably this season, averaging 13.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Carter has been named SEC Player of the Week once this season. She will be joined by her teammate, true freshman forward Rickea Jackson. State’s first McDonald’s All-American signee, Jackson has been the most dominant freshman in the SEC this season, leading the Bulldogs with 14.5 points per game. Jackson is a three time Freshman of the Week as named by the SEC. The two Bulldogs will be joined by Quantesha Jackson of Delta State as the third finalist.
Mississippi State swept the Howell and Gillom awards a season ago, with seniors Quinndary Weatherspoon and Teaira McCowan bringing home the hardware. In total, Mississippi State has won the Howell Trophy seven previous times, and the Gillom Trophy eight times, with a five year streak on the line this year. The trophy will be presented Monday March 9 at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, with former Ole Miss head women’s basketball coach Van Chancellor as the featured speaker.
Picture courtesy of Mississippi State athletics
