The following is a press release from Iowa State Athletics Communications:
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Iowa State women’s basketball’s Ashley Joens is back on the Cheryl Miller Award Top-5, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced on Wednesday. The 2021 Cheryl Miller Award Winner looks to be the first repeat winner.
Ashley Joens has earned numerous nods this season as one of the best players in the nation. Most recently, she was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy National Player of the Year. Joens also earned a spot on the Wooden Award National Ballot last week.
Joens has had another stellar season leading the No. 10 Cyclones. She leads the team with 20.0 points per game and 9.2 boards per game. Joens has elevated her game this season, shooting a career-best 37.2 percent from 3point range and making a career-best 77 triples this season. Joens has also evolved as a facilitator, averaging her best mark at 2.2 dimes per game.
Joens has cemented herself as the most prolific scorer in Iowa State history with 2,261 career points and counting, as she now holds Iowa State’s top mark in the record book. She also ranks fourth in school history with 1,025 career rebounds.
A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 student-athletes in November, which was narrowed to 10 candidates in February and now just five finalists. This month, the finalists will be presented to Ms. Miller and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2022 Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Award will be determined by a combination of fan votes and input from the Basketball Hall of Fame’s selection committee. Naismith Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on Friday, March 11 on hoophallawards.com.
The winner of the 2022 Cheryl Miller Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four 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. Additional information about the award presentation, including date and time, will be released in the coming weeks.
