(Editor’s note: Carroll Athletics release.)
HELENA — The 2023-24 NAIA Player of the Year, Jamie Pickens, will see her jersey placed on the Ring of Honor display at the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn., in recognition of her outstanding play last season.
The most decorated women’s basketball player in Carroll history isn’t quite finished with her honors. Pickens joins fellow All-Americans Torrie Cahill, Katie Estey, Hannah Dean and Dani Wagner as Fighting Saints to have their jerseys hung in the Ring of Honor.
The program’s first NAIA Player of the Year averaged a double-double in her final season in the Purple and Gold, with 19.1 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. She went 51.1% from the floor, dominated the paint with 51 blocks, and was second on the team in assists with 82.
All-conference, All-American, Frontier Conference Player of the Year, and NAIA Player of the year are just some of the many individual accolades Pickens accrued in her stellar senior campaign.
“It is such an honor to have Jamie’s Carroll College Fighting Saints jersey hanging up in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.” said head coach Rachelle Sayers. “It is only fitting that the final stop for that jersey be there. Jamie was a once-in-a-lifetime player here at Carroll, and it is great to see her continue to get recognized for her historic career.”
“The Ring of Honor is one of our favorite displays at the Hall of Fame and has become one of our most popular exhibits. Not only does the Ring of Honor provide a colorful backdrop to the Hall of Fame’s many archives, but it is also our way of recognizing young women’s basketball players for their achievements in the sport.
“In doing so, we are fulfilling our mission to “honor the past, celebrate the present, and promote the future” of women’s basketball.” said Kristina Cloer, Operations Manager at the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
With over 100 jerseys in the rafters, the Ring of Honor displays jerseys of some of the best high school and college players in the country from the previous season. Pickens joins the likes of household names Candace Parker, Sue Bird, Kelsey Plum, Breanna Stewart, and Aja Wilson, who have all have had their jerseys displayed there.
