The winners of the awards presented to the top college basketball players in Mississippi were announced on Monday.
Beginning with the Gillom Trophy, which is awarded annually to the most outstanding women’s basketball player in the state, Shakira Austin of Ole Miss secured the trophy for the second year in a row. She beat out Ameshya Williams-Holliday of Jackson State and Anastasia Hayes of Mississippi State for the honor.
Austin is in the midst of a stellar junior campaign with the Rebels, averaging 15.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game. The Virginia native recently eclipsed the 1,000-career rebound mark, making her one of seven active Division I players with 1,500 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.
Last week, Austin was named First-Team All-SEC for the second consecutive year. She’s also a Lisa Leslie Award Top 10 finalist, which annually recognizes the best center in the nation.
Mississippi State’s Iverson Molinar was this year’s recipient of the Howell Trophy, awarded each year to the most outstanding men’s player in the state. He received the honor over Tyler Stevenson of Southern Miss and Jarkel Joiner of Ole Miss.
Molinar, an All-SEC Preseason First-Team selection, is averaging 17.9 points and 3.6 assists per game for the Bulldogs. The Panama native’s streak of 31 consecutive games in double figures is a program record. He’s one of just two Power Five players to score in double figures every game this season.
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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 in the National Basketball Hall of Fame, still holds nearly a dozen records at Mississippi State.
