JACKSON, Miss. - (October 10, 2007) – The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum today announced the expansion of the Cellular South Outstanding Player Award Series to include the best player in Mississippi women's college basketball beginning in March 2008. The award will bear the name of Abbeville, MS native Peggie Gillom, a 1998 Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame inductee and former college head coach who was an Olympic and WNBA assistant coach.
"I am very proud to have this honor," said Gillom, a former head coach at Texas A&M and current assistant at her alma mater. "It means so much to me."
The award becomes a part of the Cellular South Outstanding Player Award Series and will be known officially as the Cellular South Gillom Trophy.
"Mississippi has produced a wealth of talented athletes and women's basketball is certainly no exception," said Museum Board President Jim Keith. "We are delighted to administer an award that bears Peggie's name."
The first annual Cellular South Gillom Trophy will be presented March 31, 2008. The inaugural presentation will be in conjunction with the Cellular South Howell Trophy, which is awarded annually to the top men's player in the state. Media voters from across Mississippi will determine the finalists and eventual winners of both awards.
Peggie is the only player in OM history of either gender to score 2000 points and grab 1000 rebounds during her career. She is a former head coach at Texas A&M and assistant coach with the TEAM USA Olympic team (2000). She served as an assistant coach with the WNBA champion Houston Comets and is currently an assistant at Ole Miss. Peggie is a member of the Selection Committee for the Women's College Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, TN. The Gillom Sports Center at Ole Miss is home to the women's soccer, softball and volleyball teams.
About Cellular South
Cellular South is the largest privately held wireless provider in the U.S. The company is focused on providing the best service possible through its nationwide wireless voice and data network, award-winning customer care, state-of-the-art wireless devices, and commitment to the communities it serves. Cellular South was recently honored with the 2005 Wireless Week Excellence Award, 2006 Newcomen Award, and a concurrent resolution from the Mississippi Legislature commending the executives and employees of Cellular South for the company's extraordinary efforts in Hurricane Katrina's wake. For more information, visit www.cellularsouth.com.
Contact:
Erin Conn, CKPR for Cellular South, (312) 616-2584, econn@ckpr.biz
