EAST LANSING– After appearing on its preseason watch list to start the year, junior forward Grace VanSlooten has qualified as a top ten candidate for the Cheryl Miller Award. The announcement is made by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).
The honor is granted to the country’s top small forward, and VanSlooten is one of three players in the Big Ten still in contention. She is joined by junior Cotie McMahon out of Ohio State and Yarden Garzon from Indiana.
In her first year with the Spartans after transferring from Oregon, VanSlooten is averaging 14.4 points per game along with 6.8 rebounds per game. Both of these marks rank second on the team for the season. She is also second on the team in blocks on the season with 24.
In the Big Ten, VanSlooten stands fifth in field goal percentage at 52.9%, tenth in blocks, and top 20 in rebounds. MSU has had both the size and paint advantage in many of their matchups this season, and VanSlooten may be their number one contributor in this area.
The Spartans have a multitude of guards that like to drive the lane and get to the basket, yet VanSlooten is critical to this game plan. She is that two-way presence inside that establishes dominance early on with her scoring but draws enough attention to open the middle of the floor for her backcourt, which may be where she is most valuable.
VanSlooten and No. 20 MSU look to execute this against rival Michigan in East Lansing, with tip-off set for 2 p.m.
