Bulldogs Sweep 2018 Gillom, Howell Trophies
JACKSON, Miss. (MSU Athletics/WCBI) – It was a Mississippi State sweep for the state’s best men’s and women’s college basketball player at the CSpire Howell and Gillom Trophy presentations on Monday.
Victoria Vivians won the Gillom Trophy for a record fourth-straight season, while Quinndary Weatherspoon took home the Howell Trophy at the awards luncheon held at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in Jackson.
Vivians hoisted the trophy after leading Vic Schaefer’s women’s basketball team to a 32-1 record and the program’s first SEC regular-season championship. She helped MSU to the second-longest win streak in SEC history and the first undefeated regular season by a league team in 20 years.
“It’s such an honor to receive the Gillom Trophy for the fourth time,” Vivians said. “I’m so glad that I decided to stay in my home state. I have to thank my teammates, coaches and family, because without them I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
The Carthage, Miss., native finished the regular season in the Top 3 in the league in scoring at 19.6 ppg. She reached double figures in 32 of State’s 33 games, including 15 20-point games and a pair of 30-point contests. She was named to the SEC All-Tournament Team on Sunday after averaging 17.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in guiding the Bulldogs to the championship game for the third-consecutive year.
The third Bulldog to score 2,000-career points, Vivians has posted the best shooting percentages of her career, hitting 48.5 percent from the field, 39.5 percent from the 3-point arc and 81.4 percent from the free-throw line. Vivians has also tallied a career-best 6.0 rpg.
Vivians was named First Team All-SEC for the third-straight year, and she is also a finalist for the Wooden Award, Senior CLASS Award, Ann Meyers Drysdale Award and the Dawn Staley Award. She is a semifinalist for the Naismith Trophy.
Weatherspoon, a finalist for the Howell Trophy the past two seasons, paced the Bulldogs and was 14th in the SEC with his 14.7 scoring clip. He was also sixth in the SEC (1.5) in steals and eighth in assists (3.5), while his 5.9 rebounds were 17th most.
“It’s such an honor to win this award named after a great Bulldog like Bailey Howell,” Weatherspoon said. “I’m so grateful for my family, coaches and teammates for getting me where I am today.”
Back in December, he became the 37th player in school history to score 1,000 points, and he now ranks 19th all time with 1,305.
An All-SEC selection and a member of the Wooden Award watch list, the Canton, Miss., native led MSU to its 18th 20-plus win in school history. He scored in double-digits 26 times and posted two double-doubles as the Bulldogs head to this week’s SEC Tournament in St. Louis with a 21-10 overall record and 9-9 mark in league play.
He is the first MSU player to win the award since Arnett Moultrie in 2012. In all, the Bulldogs have had six winners — Lawrence Roberts (2005), Jamont Gordon (2008) and Jarvis Varnado (2009 and 2010).
Monday’s win was the seventh time a Bulldog has claimed the Gillom Trophy. Martha Alwal won in 2013, while Alexis Rack claimed the award in 2009 and 2010.
Nick Weatherspoon and Southern Miss’ Cortez Edwards were finalists for the Howell Trophy, while Teaira McCowan and Blair Schaefer were the other two finalists for the Gillom Trophy.
Mississippi State Howell Trophy Winners
Quinndary Weatherspoon – 2018
Arnett Moultrie – 2012
Jarvis Varnado – 2010, 2009
Jamont Gordon – 2008
Lawrence Roberts – 2005
Mississippi State Gillom Trophy Winners
Victoria Vivians – 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015
Martha Alwal – 2013
Alexis Rack – 2010, 2009
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