SPRINGFIELD, Mass. –The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced Wednesday that Vanderbilt women’s basketball sophomore Khamil Pierre has been named to the 2025 Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Award top five finalists list.
Pierre is the second Commodore to be considered for the Cheryl Miller Award, which goes to the nation’s top small forward since 2018 as part of the Naismith Starting Five awards, as she joins Sacha Washington who was named to the 2024-25 Cheryl Miller Award Preseason Watch List.
Joining Pierre as a finalist for the Cheryl Miller Award are Mikayla Williams (LSU), Sonia Citron (Notre Dame), Madison Booker (Texas) and Sarah Strong (UConn). Pierre is the only player to have played her way onto the top five finalists for the Cheryl Miller Award, as she was not included on any of the award’s watch list this season before Wednesday’s selection.
The Phoenix, Arizona, native was the only NCAA Division I player this season to average over 20.5 points and 9.5 rebounds. Additionally, Pierre is the only player in the country to rank inside the top 15 nationally in scoring (14th; 20.8 ppg) and steals per game (13th; 3.00).
The 6-2 forward collected 15 double-doubles this season, which are the most by a Commodore in a single season since 1999-00. Pierre’s 15 double-doubles were 13th-most in NCAA Division I this season and ranked second in the SEC. Her 252 made field goals leads the SEC and are third-most nationally. The sophomore ended the 2024-24 regular season ranked inside the top 15 nationally in seven different categories.
The sophomore improved her scoring average by 11.9 points per game from her freshman season. Pierre registered 20-plus points in 16 games this season and collected three or more steals in 17 contests.
Pierre briefly held the Vanderbilt single-game scoring record, as she scored a career-high 42 points against Evansville on Dec. 14. The sophomore became the first player to record 60 total points and rebounds in a game in her performance against the Purple Aces, scoring 42 points and grabbing 18 rebounds. She outscored Evansville by herself, 42-40, and collected seven steals against the Purple Aces. Pierre’s record stood for 17 days before Vanderbilt freshman Mikayla Blakes scored 53 points at Florida on Jan. 30.
Fans can support Pierre by participating in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, starting Friday, March 7, at HoopHallAwards.com. The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.
Later this month, the finalists will be presented to Miller and the Hall of Fame’s selection committees. The Selection Committees for Cheryl Miller Awards are composed of top women’s college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers.
The winners of the 2025 Miller Awards 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), Anne Meyers Drysdale Award (Shooting Guard), Katrina McClain Award (Power Forward) and Lisa Leslie Award (Center).
Pierre is the second Vanderbilt women’s basketball player to be named a finalist for a Naismith Starting Five award. On Tuesday, freshman Mikayla Blakes was named as a finalist for the 2025 Anne Meyers Drysdale Award.
Vanderbilt heads to Greenville, South Carolina, for the 2025 SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament as the No. 8 seed. The Commodores earned a bye into the second round and will play on Thursday at 10 a.m. CT against the winner of Wednesday’s first round game against No. 9-seed Tennessee and No. 16-seed Texas A&M.
For more information and exclusive content on the Vanderbilt women’s basketball team, follow @VandyWBB on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter/X.
