Completed Event: Women's Basketball at Eastern Kentucky on March 19, 2026 , Loss , 58, to, 72
Final Score
Women's Basketball
58
at Eastern Kentucky
72
The University of Utah Athletics
Photo by: Nick Grace
Kneepkens Named to Cheryl Miller Award Watch List
10/19/2022 11:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The sophomore is 1-of-20 players named to the Preseason Watch List
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -Â The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced the 2023 Cheryl Miller Award Watch List, and the University of Utah's Gianna Kneepkens was 1-of-20 players named to the watch list.Â
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Named after the three-time Naismith Player of the Year and Class of 1995 Hall of Famer, the annual award, in its sixth year, recognizes the top small forwards in women's NCAA Division I college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates. To view the complete list, click here.Â
"Gianna is undeniably one of the best small forwards in the country, and I'm proud of her to get recognized this early in her sophomore campaign," remarked head coach Lynne Roberts. "Perhaps the most exciting things about Gianna's potential are her unwavering work ethic to be better and her desire to win, regardless of who gets the credit."Â
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Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds starting Friday, Oct. 21. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2023 Cheryl Miller Award will be narrowed to 10 and then in late February to just five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Miller and the Hall of Fame's selection committee, where a winner will be selected.Â
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Kneepkens, a sophomore from Duluth, Minn., was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, becoming the second player in program history to earn this Pac-12 honor and the first since 2019. Besides making Freshman of the Year honors, she also earned First Team Pac-12 and All-Freshman Team honors. She earned Pac-12 All-Tournament team honors following the Pac-12 tournament, the first Ute in program history to earn this honor.Â
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She came off the bench during her freshman season and scored a career-high 29 points against rival BYU. She shot 52 percent from the floor in the game. She appeared in 33 games while making 25 starts and averaged 23.7 minutes, 11.8 points, and 4.4 rebounds per game as a freshman.Â
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She earned five Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors and scored in double figures 20 times as a freshman. During her freshman season, she led the team in scoring 11 times while making a three-pointer in 29-of-33 games, including hitting at least one three-pointer in 22 straight games. She shot 38.4 percent (56-for-146) on threes last season, the ninth-best mark in the Pac-12. She finished ninth in program history, hitting 87.1 percent from the free-throw line.Â
"We are extremely proud of the work ethic and dedication shown by the student-athletes on the Cheryl Miller Award Watch List," said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. "After her dominant career at USC and winning a pair of NCAA Championships, Cheryl is one of the greatest to play our game. We are honored to be working alongside her throughout the 2022-23 season."Â
Up NextÂ
The Utes will open the season on Thursday, Oct. 27, with their fifth annual Future-Scholars game against Northwest Nazarene, with tip happening at 11 a.m. from the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
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Season TicketsÂ
Season tickets for the 2022-23 season are now available. Floor seats are priced at $100, while general admission tickets at $25. With you, we can reach our goal of 2,022 season tickets! The Utes also have a season ticket package with the Crimson Craze. For $50, you can get the premium Crimson Craze Packet, which comes with a Crimson Craze T-Shirt, exclusive program newsletter, and pre-game chalk talks for Pac-12 games, plus one GA season ticket. Call the Utah ticket office at 801-581-UTIX or visit www.UtahTickets.com.Â
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Follow the Utes!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @UtahWBB | Instagram: @UtahWBB | Facebook: Facebook.com/UtahWBB). Â
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Named after the three-time Naismith Player of the Year and Class of 1995 Hall of Famer, the annual award, in its sixth year, recognizes the top small forwards in women's NCAA Division I college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates. To view the complete list, click here.Â
"Gianna is undeniably one of the best small forwards in the country, and I'm proud of her to get recognized this early in her sophomore campaign," remarked head coach Lynne Roberts. "Perhaps the most exciting things about Gianna's potential are her unwavering work ethic to be better and her desire to win, regardless of who gets the credit."Â
Â
Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds starting Friday, Oct. 21. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2023 Cheryl Miller Award will be narrowed to 10 and then in late February to just five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Miller and the Hall of Fame's selection committee, where a winner will be selected.Â
Â
Kneepkens, a sophomore from Duluth, Minn., was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, becoming the second player in program history to earn this Pac-12 honor and the first since 2019. Besides making Freshman of the Year honors, she also earned First Team Pac-12 and All-Freshman Team honors. She earned Pac-12 All-Tournament team honors following the Pac-12 tournament, the first Ute in program history to earn this honor.Â
Â
She came off the bench during her freshman season and scored a career-high 29 points against rival BYU. She shot 52 percent from the floor in the game. She appeared in 33 games while making 25 starts and averaged 23.7 minutes, 11.8 points, and 4.4 rebounds per game as a freshman.Â
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She earned five Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors and scored in double figures 20 times as a freshman. During her freshman season, she led the team in scoring 11 times while making a three-pointer in 29-of-33 games, including hitting at least one three-pointer in 22 straight games. She shot 38.4 percent (56-for-146) on threes last season, the ninth-best mark in the Pac-12. She finished ninth in program history, hitting 87.1 percent from the free-throw line.Â
"We are extremely proud of the work ethic and dedication shown by the student-athletes on the Cheryl Miller Award Watch List," said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. "After her dominant career at USC and winning a pair of NCAA Championships, Cheryl is one of the greatest to play our game. We are honored to be working alongside her throughout the 2022-23 season."Â
Up NextÂ
The Utes will open the season on Thursday, Oct. 27, with their fifth annual Future-Scholars game against Northwest Nazarene, with tip happening at 11 a.m. from the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
Â
Season TicketsÂ
Season tickets for the 2022-23 season are now available. Floor seats are priced at $100, while general admission tickets at $25. With you, we can reach our goal of 2,022 season tickets! The Utes also have a season ticket package with the Crimson Craze. For $50, you can get the premium Crimson Craze Packet, which comes with a Crimson Craze T-Shirt, exclusive program newsletter, and pre-game chalk talks for Pac-12 games, plus one GA season ticket. Call the Utah ticket office at 801-581-UTIX or visit www.UtahTickets.com.Â
Â
Follow the Utes!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @UtahWBB | Instagram: @UtahWBB | Facebook: Facebook.com/UtahWBB). Â
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Players Mentioned
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