Finalists for the Howell Trophy and Gillom Trophy were announced Tuesday by the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum.
Mississippi State’s Josh Hubbard, Jackson State’s Daeshun Ruffin and Southern Mississippi’s Tylik Weeks are the finalists for the Howell Trophy, which is given annually to the top college men’s basketball player in Mississippi. Finalists for the Gillom Trophy, which goes to the top women’s player in the state, are MSU’s Madison Francis, USM’s Jakayla Johnson and Ole Miss’ Cotie McMahon.
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Here’s a brief look at each finalist.
• Hubbard has won the last two Howell Trophies. He averaged 22.1 points per game and surpassed 40 points twice this past season. The junior guard shot 42.2% from the field, including 34.7% from 3-point range. Hubbard also averaged 3.6 assists.
• Ruffin, a senior guard, was also a big-time scorer, averaging 23.3 points per game for JSU. He shot 42.6% from the field and 30.9% from 3-point range, and he also averaged 5.3 assists.
• Weeks, a 6-foot-7 junior forward, was a big presence in the post for USM. He notched 19.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting 46.4% from the floor.
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• Francis led MSU with 13.2 points per game and was second on the team in rebounding at 7.4 per game. The freshman forward shot 45.8% from the field and 70.4% at the free throw line.
• Johnson, a graduate transfer, averaged 15.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. The guard shot 45.7% from the field, including 39.2% from deep.
• In her lone season at Ole Miss, McMahon averaged 19.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3 assists, and she shot 45.1% from the floor. The Ohio State transfer, a senior, was named SEC Newcomer of the Year and was also named first team All-SEC.
Winners will be announced April 15 at Pearl River Resort in Choctaw.
