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ATHENS, Ohio -- Bobcat junior Erica Johnson has been named to the pre-season watchlist for the 2022 Cheryl Miller Award, an honor recognizing the top small-forwards in women's college basketball, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association announced today (Oct. 27). 

Johnson played in 19 games last season for Ohio, starting in 18 of those contests. She averaged the second-most points for the Bobcats (18.7 points per game), and averaged nearly four assists per game. She shot 34% from beyond the arc, and was named to the All-MAC Third Team at the conclusion of the season. She opened the 2020-21 campaign with a season high 31 points against Liberty.  

The Cheryl Miller Award is named after the three-time Naismith Player of the Year and Class of 1995 Hall of Famer, and is in its fifth year of honoring the top small forwards in women's NCAA Division I basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates. Previous winners of the Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Award include Ashley Joens, Iowa State (2021), Satou Sabally, Oregon (2020), Bridget Carleton, Iowa State (2019) and Gabby Williams, Connecticut (2018).

"The student-athletes named to the Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year watchlist have worked tremendously hard and should be proud of all they have achieved," said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. "Cheyl has long been recognized as one of the greatest athletes to ever play our game after an absolutely dominant career at USC and winning a pair of NCAA Championships. We are very much looking forward to working with her alongside our own selection committee in evaluating talent throughout the 2021-22 season."

Bobcat fans are encouraged to take part in the Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies aspect of each three rounds. The top 10 players on the fan vote will receive an extra vote towards advancing to the next round. The watch list will be trimmed to 10 players in early January, and then down to five in February. The five finalists will be presented to Miller and a selection committee in March, with the winner being announced on a date still to be announced.

Ohio women's basketball open the season when the Bobcats travel to take on Notre Dame on Nov. 9. The game will be broadcast on ACCNX, with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m.

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