Indiana's Yarden Garzon Makes Cheryl Miller Award Preseason Watch List

Indiana sophomore Yarden Garzon, who set the program's freshman record for made 3-pointers, was named to the 20-player watch list for the Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Award. Garzon's sister, Lior, who plays at Oklahoma State, also made the list.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana women’s basketball sophomore Yarden Garzon appeared on the 20-player preseason watch list for the Cheryl Miller Award on Wednesday. The award is presented annually to the nation’s most outstanding small forward.

It marks the fourth straight season that an Indiana player has been named to the preseason watch list for this award. Former Hoosier and top-10 WNBA Draft pick Grace Berger appeared on the list from the 2021-2023 seasons. Iowa State’s Ashley Joens, who was selected in last year's WNBA Draft, received the accolade for the past three years. 

Last season, Garzon led the Big Ten in three-point percentage and set the program’s rookie record for made 3-pointers with 70, which was also ranked fourth in the single-season charts. Back in June, Garzon competed for Team Israel in the 2023 European Women’s Basketball Championship. She shot 6-from-10 beyond the arc in three games, the third-highest three-point percentage in the 16-team group stage. 

Garzon’s long-range shots will be valuable, but head coach Teri Moren suggested at Indiana Media Day on Sept. 20 that Garzon could have an inside-out role this season.

“[Garzon’s] obviously shot the ball, as you mentioned, at a really high clip,” Moren said. “But I want to be able to utilize her like we utilized Grace Berger, as a post … We feel like we can do some unique things because she's a big guard and put her in positions with her back to the basket and not always revert back to her little fadeaway, that international fadeaway that she brought with her from Israel.”

Garzon is one of four players from the Big Ten on the preseason list. Her sister, Lior Garzon, who's a senior at Oklahoma State, also appeared on the list. Fans can vote in each of the three rounds starting Friday. In late January, the 20-player list will be cut in half. In February, it will be trimmed to five finalists. And in March, the selection committee will decide the sole winner. 

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