Alyssa Ustby named to Cheryl Miller Award Preseason Watch List

On Wednesday, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced the preseason watch list for the Cheryl Miller Award.

The Cheryl Miller Award, in its eighth year, honors the top small forwards in women's 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.

To no surprise, a UNC women's basketball player has made the list, as Alyssa Ustby once again returns as one of the top small forwards in the country.

2025 Cheryl Miller Award Candidates
Sarah Ashlee Barker, Alabama
Andrea Daley, Boston College
Lior Garzon, Colorado
Yarden Garzon, Indiana
Temira Poindexter, Kansas State
Mikaylah Williams, LSU
Saylor Poffenbarger , Maryland
Grace VanSlooten, Michigan State
Alyssa Ustby, North Carolina
Madison Hayes, NC State
Cotie McMahon, Ohio State
Sahara Williams, Oklahoma
Madison Scott, Ole Miss
Maryam Dauda, South Carolina
Madison Booker, Texas
Aicha Coulibaly, Texas A&M
Angela Dugalić, UCLA
Sarah Strong, UConn
Gianna Kneepkens, Utah
Sacha Washington, Vanderbilt

During her true senior season, the Rochester, Minnesota native averaged 12.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. For her efforts, she earned Second-Team All-ACC honors, extending her all-conference honors streak to three consecutive seasons.

What more can be said about Ustby, a player who has been a tremendous asset not only to the UNC women's basketball program but to the University of North Carolina as a whole. Entering her fifth and final season at the collegiate level, Ustby has plenty more to accomplish before her time in Chapel Hill comes to a close.