GREENVILLE , SC - MARCH 06 - Ole Miss's Cotie McMahon (32) during the 2026 SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament between the Ole Miss Rebels and the Vanderbilt Commodores at Bon Secours Arena in Greenville , SC on Friday, March 6, 2026. Photo by Addi Ray/SEC

Cotie McMahon Adds Gillom Trophy to Decorated Ole Miss Season

BY Taylor Hodges

Some awards come with suspense. This one never did.

Two days after hearing her name called in the first round of the WNBA Draft, Cotie McMahon added the most predictable line possible to her Ole Miss résumé.

She won the 2026 Gillom Trophy on Monday afternoon, becoming the latest Rebel to claim the honor given to the top women’s basketball player in Mississippi.

And honestly, who else was it going to be?

McMahon walked into the Golden Moon Casino as the clear favorite and walked out with the trophy Peggie Gillom‑Granderson’s name is on. Madison Francis and Jakayla Johnson were strong finalists, but McMahon spent the entire season looking like the best player in the state and one of the best in the country. The vote simply made it official.

This is what happens when you stack up 27 individual honors in one season.

When you land on the Cheryl Miller Final Five list, the Wooden Award ballot, and the WBCA Regional Finalist list. When you’re the SEC Newcomer of the Year and First Team All‑SEC.

When every national outlet finds a way to put “All‑American” next to your name.

And when you do all of that in your first and only season at Ole Miss.

McMahon averaged 19.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.0 assists while shooting 45.1 percent from the field. She got even better in SEC play, bumping her scoring to 21.0 points per game and carrying the Rebels through the toughest stretch of the schedule. She scored 703 points, the fourth most in a single season in program history. She posted 34 double‑digit scoring games, breaking Gillom‑Granderson’s own record.

It was dominance from day one, and it never slowed down.

So now the résumé reads like this: SEC awards, national awards, program records, a first round WNBA selection, and the Gillom Trophy. All in one year. All earned.

Ole Miss knew what it was getting when McMahon transferred in. What no one could have predicted was how quickly she would become the face of basketball in the state. This trophy just confirms what everyone watched all season.

There was only one choice. And Cotie McMahon made it look easy.

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