MIAMI, FL – On Monday, Conference USA announced its postseason awards, two of which were won by FIU Women’s Basketball guards. Both Rhema Collins and Parris Atkins won CUSA honors.
They had spectacular seasons, leading the Panthers to 12 conference wins and the two-seed in the Conference USA Basketball Championship. These are the highest marks FIU has had since joining the league.
Rhema Collins
The Bahamas native, Collins, was awarded Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, All-Conference First Team and All-Defensive Team. This is the first time in program history that FIU has had a CUSA Player of the Year. The last time a Panther won Player of the Year was in 2013 when Jerica Coley won Sun Belt Player of the Year for the second straight season.
This is also the second consecutive season that FIU has had a CUSA Newcomer of the Year, with Isnelle Natabou earning the nod last season.
No suprise once you’ve seen the tape 🎥 https://t.co/S4ecdCLiGu pic.twitter.com/BXfHYEU2bK
— FIU Women’s Basketball (@FIUWBB) March 9, 2026
Collins was the biggest threat on the court during the regular season for opponents. The Ole Miss transfer finished in the top five overall in Conference USA in several categories. She finished second in points per game (17.2), third in rebounds per game (9.0), fourth in field goal percentage (45.5%), and tied for first in blocks per game (1.6).
She finished with 21 double-digit scoring games, eight of which featured her scoring 20+ points. Collins had 19 games with at least seven rebounds, and 15 games of two or more blocks, including a 66-60 win over Sam Houston (1/24), where she had four.
Her best game of the season came in a 103-92 victory over Georgia State (12/5). She scored a career-high 40 points on 16/21 shooting, grabbed 13 rebounds, dished out a season high of four assists, made three steals, and had two blocks. Those 40 points scored are the most in a game by any CUSA player this season and are tied for the 17th most points scored by a player in the NCAA this season.
A respectful 40 points 😤 https://t.co/ehTpn2IsEM pic.twitter.com/TTYtJz7M8E
— FIU Women’s Basketball (@FIUWBB) December 8, 2025
Rhema Collins finished the season with 13 double-doubles, tied for first in CUSA and 24th in the NCAA. Her four offensive rebounds per game ranked first in Conference USA and twelfth in the nation.
Parris Atkins
The Arkansas native, Atkins, was awarded the All-Conference First Team and All-Defensive Team. She was the second go-to player on the team all season long. Atkins proved her Preseason All-Conference honors were no fluke, finishing third in the league with 16.7 points per game.
She finished the season with 24 double-figure scoring games, including nine of 20+ points, with her first 20-point game coming at UCF (11/18).
So nice you gotta watch it twice 😮💨 https://t.co/qTrxVytWV2 pic.twitter.com/hd1fNEKwUz
— FIU Women’s Basketball (@FIUWBB) March 9, 2026
Atkins scored a career-high of 35 in the Panthers’ first conference matchup of the season against Missouri State (1/4). Those were the second-most points scored in any Conference USA game this season.
Parris out here setting the standard 👏 pic.twitter.com/oeRU1H8iIL
— FIU Women’s Basketball (@FIUWBB) January 6, 2026
Her playmaking skills on the court were unmatched, dishing out 2.8 assists per game in conference play. She had three or more assists three times this season, including a career-high of nine against Sam Houston (2/14).
Parris Atkins stood out on defense as well, finishing second in CUSA with 2.9 steals per game, 22nd in the NCAA. In her second year as a Panther, she had 15 games with at least three or more steals, including a career-high of nine in a 64-59 win against Seattle (11/30).
This is the third consecutive season that FIU has seen such high honors and First Team All-CUSA honorees in the same postseason awards. Under head coach Jesyka Burks-Wiley, the Panthers have now had 14 individual players earn All-Conference awards in the CUSA.
The Road Ahead
The second-seeded Panthers will play the winner of seventh-seeded Jacksonville State and tenth-seeded UTEP on Wednesday at 2pm in Huntsville.
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