The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, in partnership with the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), has announced the 20 watch list candidates for the 2027 Cheryl Miller Award, and Tennessee’s Kaylene Smikle is among them.
The Cheryl Miller Award, in its 10th year, honors the top small forward in NCAA Division I women’s college basketball. It is named after the three-time Naismith Player of the Year and Class of 1995 Hall of Famer.
A 6-foot, fifth-year guard from Bay Shore, N.Y., Smikle is one of five SEC standouts to make the preseason list for the Miller Award. Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point during the 2026-27 season.
A transfer from Maryland, Smikle is a two-time All-Big Ten selection, earning first-team honors from the media in 2024-25 while playing for the Terrapins and second-team league acclaim and all-freshman status in 2022-23 while at Rutgers. She was on the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award and Naismith Trophy preseason watch lists in 2025-26 before her season was limited to seven games by a nagging injury.
Despite the injury, Smikle managed to put up 13.1 ppg. a year ago as a senior, scoring in double figures in six of seven games played. As a junior in 2024-25, she averaged 17.9 ppg., 4.4 rpg., 1.7 apg. and 1.5 spg, scoring in double figures in 30 of 33 games, including 13 with 20 or more and one with 30+. During the NCAA Tournament, she led the Terps with 20.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 19-of-21 shooting from the free-throw line in three contests.
For her career, Smikle has started 71 of 87 games between her time at Rutgers and Maryland, averaging 17.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.7 steals. She has scored in double figures 74 times, including 38 times at RU and 36 at UM. She has tallied 20+ on 35 occasions, including 21 at Rutgers and 14 at Maryland, and connected on 125 of 358 (35 percent) shots from the three-point arc.
On Tuesday night, Smikle led all scorers with 19 points, as the Lady Vol raced past Florida A&M, 132-63, in an exhibition game at Food City Center. She and her teammates open the regular season at home on Monday night, as Duquesne comes to Knoxville for a 6:30 p.m. contest. The match-up will be available for streaming on SECN+.
Fans can support their favorite watch list player by participating in Fan Voting starting Friday, Oct. 30. For more information on the Cheryl Miller Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophallu and #MillerAward on X and Instagram.
The selection committee for the Cheryl Miller Award is composed of top women’s college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers.
The winner of the 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 Award (Point Guard), Ann Meyers Drysdale Award (Shooting Guard), Katrina McClain Award (Power Forward) and Lisa Leslie Award (Center).
CHERYL MILLER SMALL FORWARD OF THE YEAR AWARD PRESEASON WATCH LIST
McKinna Brackens, Arizona State
Skylar Jones, Baylor
Jadyn Donovan, Duke
Berry Wallace, Illinois
Mackenly Randolph, Louisville
Mikaylah Williams, LSU
Bri McDaniel, Maryland
Olivia Olson, Michigan
Grace Slaughter, Missouri
Natalie Potts, Nebraska
Achol Akot, North Carolina
Sahara Williams, Oklahoma
Stailee Heard, Oklahoma State
Joyce Edwards, South Carolina
Kaylene Smikle, Tennessee
Madison Book, Texas
Jalynn Bristow, Texas Tech
Addy Brown, UCLA
Blanca Quiñónez, UConn
ZaZa Walton, West Virginia
