The 2023-24 Ann Meyers Drysdale USBWA Player of the Year Watch List was announced on Tuesday, and Tennessee’s Rickea Jackson is among 40 players under consideration.
Jackson, a 6-foot-2 fifth-year forward from Detroit, Mich., is averaging 18.8 points and 8.0 rebounds in 18 games this season to rank No. 3 and No. 9, respectively, among SEC players. She has produced three double-doubles and double-figure scoring in all 18 games she’s played and is shooting 46 percent from the field and 75 percent at the free-throw line.
Against Vanderbilt on Feb. 18, she notched her seventh 20+ scoring performance of the season, running her two-year total on Rocky Top to 23 and tying Rennia Davis for fifth all-time in Lady Vol history. UT is 20-3 overall and 13-2 in league play when Jackson nets 20 or more points.
With 19 points vs. Missouri, on Feb. 4, Jackson moved past 2,000 in her career between her stints at Mississippi State and Tennessee. She now has 2,094 through Sunday’s game and has the seventh-highest career total of any player in Lady Vol history. She stands just behind Tamika Catchings (2,113, 1997-2001) and Candace Parker (2,137, 2005-08).
Against LSU on Feb. 25, Jackson’s 16-point effort propelled her past 1,000 in only 53 contests at Tennessee. She became the 49th Lady Vol to hit 1K and now ranks 48th with 1,009.
Missing eight games earlier in the season due to injury, Jackson helped the Lady Vols rebound from a 4-4 mark during her absence to an 11-5 record since then. Overall, the Lady Vols are 12-6 with her in the lineup and stand in fourth place in the SEC standings at 16-10 overall and 9-5 against league foes. UT is slotted at No. 37 in the NCAA NET rankings and continues to receive votes in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
Jackson and her Big Orange teammates will return to action on Thursday, as they welcome Texas A&M to Food City Center for a 7 p.m. ET clash. The game will be televised by SEC Network and broadcast on the radio by Lady Vol Network stations and via live stream on UTSports.com.
Ann Meyers Drysdale USBWA National Player of the Year Watchlist
Georgia Amoore, Virginia Tech
Meghan Andersen, Fairfield
Raegan Beers, Oregon State
Lauren Betts, UCLA
Madison Booker, Texas
Tayla Brugler, St. Joe’s
Paige Bueckers, UConn
Cameron Brink, Stanford
Kamilla Cardoso, South Carolina
Kaitlyn Chen, Princeton
Caitlin Clark, Iowa
Aaliyah Edwards, UConn
Yvonne Ejim, Gonzaga
Dyaisha Fair, Syracuse
Lauren Gustin, BYU
Madison Hayes, NC State
Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame
McKenna Hofschild, Colorado State
MacKenzie Holmes, Indiana
Abbey Hsu, Columbia
Kiki Irafen, Stanford
Rickea Jackson, Tennessee
Aziaha James, NC State
Deja Kelly, UNC
Elizabeth Kitley, Virginia Tech
Kate Martin, Iowa
Cotie McMahon, Ohio State
Aneesah Morrow, LSU
Lucy Olsen, Villanova
Charisma Osborne, UCLA
Te-Hina PaoPao, South Carolina
Alissa Pili, Utah
Ja’Naiya Quinerly, West Virginia
Angel Reese, LSU
Rachael Rose, Wofford
Jacy Sheldon, Ohio State
Jaylyn Sherrod, Colorado
Alyssa Ustby, North Carolina
JuJu Watkins, USC
Laura Ziegler, St. Joe’s
Source: University Of Tennessee
