October 28, 2026 | Women's Basketball
News
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Illinois junior forward Berry Wallace has earned a place on the Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Award 20-player preseason watchlist presented by the Naismith Awards announced on Wednesday, October 28.
Wallace was one of 20 forwards nationally and one of five Big Ten student-athletes to be recognized on the preseason watch list.
Named to the Miller Award watch list for the first time in her career, Wallace enters her third season with the Fighting Illini after starting all 34 games, while averaging 18.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.8, 0.7 steals, and 0.4 blocks last season as a sophomore. During her unanimous First Team All-Big Ten campaign, Wallace led the Big Ten in minutes played per game at 35.7, recorded a team-best 626 points and ranked sixth on program's single season scoring list, she achieved a team-best 16 20-point games across the 2025-26 season, which ranked fifth-most in the Big Ten and in the top-25 across NCAA DI.
During the Fighting Illinois 2025-26 slate, Wallace dropped a career high of 29 points vs. Northwestern, recorded her first career double-double in the season-opener, and played all 40 minutes in nine games. The Pickerington, Ohio native registered a free throw percentage of 86.5 (122-of-141), which ranked No. 4 in the Big Ten and eighth on Illinois' single-season free-throw percentage list.
Wallace was also a three-time Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll selection on November 10, January 5, and January 19 during her sophomore season. She also earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition for her work in the classroom.
Wallace is the first Fighting Illini student-athlete to earn a spot on the Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Award 20-player preseason watchlist under Shauna Green. She joins Kendall Bostic (Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year, 2024-25), Genesis Bryant (Ann Meyers-Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year, 2024-25), and two-time selection Makira Cook (Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year, 2024-25 and 2023-24) as Illini under Green to earn spots on the women's Naismith Starting 5 award preseason watch lists. Bostic advanced to be named a top-10 finalist for her respective award.
The Cheryl Miller Award is one of five women's Naismith Starting 5 awards. The preseason watch lists for the Nancy Lieberman Award (Point Guard), Ann Meyers Drysdale Award (Shooting Guard), Katrina McClain Award (Power Forward) and Lisa Leslie Award (Center) will be announced from Oct. 26-30. Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting in each of the three rounds starting on Friday, October 30. In February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2027 Nancy Lieberman Awards will be narrowed to 10, then to five in March.
2026-27 Cheryl Miller Small forward of the Year Award Candidates
| 2026-27 Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Award Candidates | |
|---|---|
| Name | School |
| McKinna Brackens | Arizona State |
| Skylar Jones | Baylor |
| Jadyn Donovan | Duke |
| Berry Wallace | Illinois |
| Mackenly Randolph | Louisville |
| Mikaylah Williams | LSU |
| Bri McDaniel | Maryland |
| Olivia Olson | Michigan |
| Grace Slaughter | Missouri |
| Natalie Potts | Nebraska |
| Achol Akot | North Carolina |
| Sahara Williams | Oklahoma |
| Stailee Heard | Oklahoma State |
| Joyce Edwards | South Carolina |
| Kaylene Smikle | Tennessee |
| Madison Booker | Texas |
| Jalynn Bristow | Texas Tech |
| Addy Brown | UCLA |
| Blanca Quiñónez | UConn |
| ZaZa Walton | West Virginia |
