Tennessee women’s basketball redshirt junior Talaysia Cooper was named Thursday to the 2026 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Women’s Player of the Year Trophy Watch List Presented by AXIA Time.
Cooper, a 6-foot guard from Turbeville, S.C., was on the midseason watch list for that award last year as well as the Wooden Award. In addition to the 2026 Naismith Trophy Watch List, Cooper has been named to the Nancy Lieberman Award Preseason Top 20 Watch List and was voted as a preseason All-SEC First Team pick by the league’s coaches and an All-SEC Second Team selection by the media.
A year ago, Cooper earned 2024-25 SEC Coaches All-Defensive Team accolades and Coaches and USA TODAY Sports Network All-SEC Second Team honors for her breakout effort as a college player. She started 27 of 34 games for UT in 2024-25 and averaged a team-leading 16.6 points, 3.1 steals and 0.7 blocks per contest. She was second for UT with 5.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game and finished fourth in three-pointers made (36).
Cooper’s scoring average in 2024-25 tied her for ninth at Tennessee in career scoring average after one season, and she tied for sixth in a season all-time at UT, as well as No. 1 in the SEC and eighth nationally a year ago, with 105 steals. Her steals average of 3.088 ranked third in a season and second in a career all-time at UT while standing No. 1 in the SEC and No. 10 nationally in 2024-25. Additionally, she carded the third-most steals in a game ever by a Lady Vol, grabbing nine vs. Oklahoma.
On Wednesday, Cooper made her 2025-26 debut with 17 points, six assists, four rebounds and four steals in a 148-48 exhibition game rout of Columbus State at Food City Center. She finished seven of 11 from the field, including a 1-of-3 night beyond the arc, and 2-of-2 accuracy from the free throw line.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee women’s basketball team on social media, follow @LadyVol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /BallWithTheLadyVols on Facebook.
