Formula for determining winners means fans will influence 10 percent of the award total; sparking new excitement, interest and engagement with their favorite players and schools
Jackson, Miss., (March 2, 2020) –
For only the seventh time in the awards’ history, Mississippi hoops fans will have the opportunity to take part in the voting for the C Spire Howell and Gillom Trophies, which annually honor the Magnolia state’s top male and female college basketball players.
C Spire, along with the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum (MSHOF), announced today that fan voting once again will count for a weighted 10 percent of the 2020 Howell and Gillom Trophy awards. A panel of statewide sports news media will determine the remaining 90 percent of the voting.
“This gives fans a chance help select our state’s best male and female college basketball players,” said Bill Blackwell, executive director of the MSHOF and co-sponsor of the award along with C Spire. “Support of fan favorites can influence the final outcome, so fan voting is very important.”
Fan voting will begin today (Monday, March 2) at noon CT and ends on Saturday, March 7 at noon CT. By visiting C Spire’s fan voting website, http://howellgillomvoting.hscampaigns.com, fans can vote up to three times daily for their favorite college basketball player during the six-day voting period.
The 2020 C Spire Howell and Gillom Trophies will be awarded during a March 9 luncheon program at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in Jackson. Among recent Howell Trophy winners are Trey Johnson from Jackson State, Jamont Gordon, two-time winners Jarvis Varnado and Quinndary Weatherspoon along with Arnett Moultrie of Mississippi State, Gary Flowers of Southern Miss and Marshall Henderson, Jarvis Summers, Sebastian Saiz and back-to-back winner Stefan Moody, all from Ole Miss.
Past recipients of the C Spire Gillom Trophy, presented since 2008, include Jennifer Rushing and two-time winner Veronica Walker from Delta State, two-time winner Alexis Rack of Mississippi State, Southern Miss’ Jamierra Faulkne, four-time winner Victoria Vivians and Teaira McCowman of Mississippi State.
“We’re excited about continuing to give college basketball fans the opportunity to vote for their favorite players for the C Spire Howell and Gillom Trophies,” said Jim Richmond, vice president of Marketing for C Spire. “Sports is a passion point in our state and these awards reflect that reality.”
The top three men’s finalists for the 2020 Howell Trophy include Mississippi State sophomore forward Reggie Perry, Ole Miss senior guard and 2019 finalist Breein Tyree and Tougaloo senior forward Ledarius Woods, the first finalist from his school. Two of the three women finalists for the Gillom Trophy are Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs led by sophomore forward Jessika Carter and freshman forward Rickea Jackson and Delta College senior forward Quantesha Patterson.
The Howell Trophy presented by C Spire is named after Bailey Howell, a two-time All American at Mississippi State University and a six-time NBA All-Star who played on Boston Celtics world championship teams in 1968 and 1969. Howell, a 1977 inductee to the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and the first male Mississippi player inducted in the National Basketball Hall of Fame, still holds nearly a dozen season and career records at Mississippi State University.
The Gillom Trophy presented by C Spire is named after Abbeville native Peggie Gillom-Granderson, Ole Miss' all-time leading scorer and rebounder. She has coached in the WNBA and the Olympics and retired after a seven-year stint as Associate Head Coach of the Lady Rebels basketball team at Ole Miss.
2020 marks the 25th anniversary of the Outstanding Player Awards presentation. C Spire has served as title sponsor for 23 of those years since 1998. The Conerly Trophy in college football, the Howell Trophy in men’s college basketball, the Gillom Trophy in women’s college basketball and the Ferriss Trophy in college baseball comprise the four elements of the C Spire Outstanding Player Award series.
Tickets starting at $40 each are on sale for the March 9 awards luncheon at MSHOF offices and online. For more information, call 601.982.8264. Van Chancellor, former NCCA, WNBA, Ole Miss and Naismith, Women’s and Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame coaching legend, will be the featured guest speaker.
About C Spire
C Spire is a leading technology company committed to transforming its service areas through the C Spire Tech Movement initiative, which includes broadband deployment, technology innovation and workforce development. The company provides world-class, customer-inspired wireless communications, 1 Gigabit consumer Internet access as well as a full suite of dedicated Internet, wireless, IP Voice, data and cloud services for businesses. This news release and other announcements are available at www.cspire.com/news. For more information about C Spire, visit www.cspire.com or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cspire or Twitter at www.twitter.com/cspire.
About The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame
The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame exists to promote, preserve and protect Mississippi’s rich sports heritage for this and generations to come. The Museum serves as a destination for sports legends to live forever through interactive displays and exhibits where visitors can play, live and dream. The 501(c)(3) organization recognizes excellence in athletics and contributions to sports. For more information about the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum, visit msfame.com or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mssportshofandmuseum or Twitter at www.twitter.com/mssportshof.
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