Victoria Vivians already has played a major role in the Mississippi State women’s basketball team’s record-breaking season.
On Monday, the 6-foot-1 guard from Carthage set an individual first when she was named the first freshman finalist for the Gillom Award, which goes to the best women’s college basketball player in the state of Mississippi. Ole Miss senior forward Tia Faleru and Southern Mississippi senior forward Tamara Jones also were selected as finalists in a vote of statewide media who cover college basketball. The award is named after former Ole Miss great Peggie Gillom-Granderson.
On the men’s side, Ole Miss junior guard Stefan Moody, Southern Miss senior guard Chip Armelin, and Delta State sophomore guard Devin Schmidt were named finalists for the Howell Award, which is named after former MSU great Bailey Howell.
The trophy will be presented Monday at a luncheon at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in Jackson. Voting by media members will make up 90 percent of the final voting. Fan voting will account for a weighted 10 percent of the voting. Fan voting started at 8 a.m. today. Fans can vote at www.csopavoting.com. Fans will be able to vote via Facebook, Twitter, and text message. They can submit up to three votes per day in the week-long voting period.
MSU coach Vic Schaefer said Vivians, who was the state of Mississippi’s all-time leading prep basketball scorer at Scott Central High School, has played a huge part in No. 11 MSU’s record-setting 26 victories and 11 SEC wins. He said Vivians has faced every team’s best wing defender this season and has been a consistent performer.
“I would advocate she is the best freshman in the league,” Schaefer said Monday afternoon on a teleconference for the Southeastern Conference tournament. “She has had some big ballgames. She had 17 points at Tennessee and 39 at Kentucky. She carried us down the stretch (game-high 17 points in a 55-47 victory against Ole Miss on Sunday) when we needed a basket. I think the biggest thing is she has added to her game and has grown during the course of the season. She had to do it in a league that is defensive-minded and against 22- and 23-year-old kids night in and night out. I don’t think I need to be her press agent because I think what Victoria has done speaks for itself.”
Vivians led the SEC in scoring (15 points per game). She also was the top-scoring freshman in league games (13.8 ppg.) Vivians was named SEC Freshman of the Week four times during the season, and earned the Bulldogs’ first USBWA National Freshman of the Week honor following a 39-point performance at Kentucky that was an MSU freshman record. That total also tied for the most points by a rookie in the nation this season.
Vivians averaged 17.7 ppg against ranked opponents and finished the regular season scoring double figures in nine of the Bulldogs’ last 10 games.
Ole Miss coach Matt Insell said Monday on the SEC tournament teleconference he didn’t know the other players who were selected as finalists for the Gillom Award, but he said he would be “stunned” if Faleru didn’t receive the honor. When asked why Faleru deserved to win the award, Insell said the 6-1 post player has led the program through NCAA probation and for the past two years. He said she often plays against bigger players and uses her incredible energy and leaping ability to create havoc.
“She is one of the best all-around kids I have been around,” said Insell, who guided the Rebels to a 17-12 record (7-9 SEC) in his second season. Ole Miss will play Arkansas at noon Thursday in the second round of the SEC tournament in North Little Rock, Arkansas. “She is an unbelievable player on and off the court. She works extremely hard in the gym. She is very deserving of anything she gets. If she doesn’t get the Gillom I definitely would be disappointed, but if she didn’t get it, it would be something else that motivates her.”
Faleru leads Ole Miss with 14.6 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. She is the only player in the SEC to average a double-double this season. She is vying to become the first player to lead the league in rebounding in back-to-back years since LSU’s Sylvia Fowles led the SEC three straight years (2006-08). Faleru also will become the first to average double-figure rebounds since Georgia’s Porsha Phillips in 2011.
Faleru has recorded an SEC-best 13 double-doubles this season, giving her 33 career double-doubles, which is fifth all-time at Ole Miss.
Jones leads Southern Miss in scoring (16.2 points) and rebounding (6.5). She also shoots 50.2 percent from the field, including 36.3 percent from 3-point range. She has played an integral role in leading Southern Miss (20-8) to back-to-back 20-win seasons.
Last season, Southern Miss guard Jamierra Faulkner won the Gillom Trophy.
Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum Executive Director Rick Cleveland said in an email that the Gillom and Howell Awards go “simply to the Most Outstanding Player in the state this season only.
When asked if an older player would have an advantage against Vivians based on their past accomplishments or if he thought members of the media wouldn’t vote for a freshman over a senior, Schaefer said he didn’t think the award had any stipulations like that to guide voters. He said he hoped voters would consider all three of the players who were nominated and consider the impacts they had on their team and then vote. Schaefer said it is difficult to ignore what Vivians has meant to th Bulldogs.
“We’re No. 11 in the country and we just finished third in the SEC,” Schaefer said. “She started every ballgame for us. I think that in and of itself warrants it. That is more than enough.”
Those interested in buying tickets to the award luncheon can call 601-982-8264.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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