Wall Highlights Naismith Award Top 30 Finalists

Press Release — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:38:33 -0800

ATLANTA - The Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today the 30 student-athletes on its midseason list for the Naismith Trophy, the award given annually to the men's college basketball player of the year by the organization. South Carolina senior guard Devan Downey is one of the 30 candidates.

The top 30 midseason men's list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, comprised of leading basketball journalists from around the country. The board based its criteria on player performances this season.

The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T is the most prestigious national basketball award and is given annually to the men's college basketball player of the year. This year, the award will be presented at the NCAA Men's Final Four in Indianapolis.

"While several candidates have begin to separate themselves there are a number of whom still can win the esteemed Naismith Trophy," said Gary Stokan, Atlanta Tipoff Club president. "The exceptional talent level across the country has greatly elevated college basketball which makes for an outstanding finish to such a tremendous season."

Beginning March 22, AT&T wireless customers -- and sports fans on other wireless networks -- will be able to text their votes for the player of their choice. Fans will be eligible to cast their vote for the winner until 11:59 p.m. EDT on Saturday, April 3, 2010. AT&T is making the voting open to other wireless carriers, allowing even more fans to participate. Other wireless carriers must opt-in for their subscribers to participate. Standard messaging rates apply.

The midseason top-30 list is below:
Cole Aldrich, Kansas
Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest
James Anderson, Oklahoma State
Luke Babbitt, Nevada
Trevor Booker, Clemson
Matt Bouldin, Gonzaga
Da'Sean Butler, West Virginia
Sherron Collins, Kansas
DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky
Devan Downey, South Carolina
Jerome Dyson, UConn
Jimmer Fredette, BYU
Luke Harangody, Notre Dame
Gordon Hayward, Butler
Robbie Hummel, Purdue
Damion James, Texas
Wesley Johnson, Syracuse
Dominique Jones, South Florida
Sylven Landesberg, Virginia
Gani Lawal, Georgia Tech
Kalin Lucas, Michigan State
Greg Monroe, Georgetown
Jacob Pullen, Kansas State
Scottie Reynolds, Villanova
Omar Samhan, Saint Mary's
Jon Scheyer, Duke
Evan Turner, Ohio State
Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State
Greivis Vasquez, Maryland
John Wall, Kentucky

Naismith Trophy: Top 50 Watch List

Press Release — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 12:35:47 -0800

ATLANTA (Dec. 18, 2008) – University of North Carolina forward Tyler Hansbrough takes aim at becoming just the third repeat winner in the 40-year history of the Naismith Trophy as he headlines the 2008-09 preseason watch list, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today. Hansbrough, the third Tar Heel and 16^th recipient from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) to win the Naismith Trophy, would join UCLA’s Bill Walton (1972, 73, 74) and Virginia’s Ralph Sampson (1981, 82, 83) as the only multiple winners of the award, if he repeats again this year. The 6-9 senior from Poplar Bluff, Mo., is joined by teammates Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson on the list.

The Big East Conference placed 11 candidates on the watch list, followed by the ACC with seven. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) and Pacific 10 (PAC-10) each placed six.

The watch list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors, which based its criteria on player performances from the previous year and expectations for the 2008-09 college basketball season. The watch list does not include incoming freshmen, although those student-athletes will be considered in the first vote in February, 2009. The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T will be awarded at the 2009 NCAA Men’s Final Four in Detroit, Mich.

“The talent level across all conferences continues to impress, and that will create an even greater challenge for our voting academy when it comes time to select the winner in April,” said Gary Stokan, Atlanta Tipoff Club president. “And we look forward to this special season, our 40^th anniversary of the most prestigious trophy in all of college basketball.”

For the sixth consecutive season, presenting sponsor AT&T will once again set the standard in allowing fans to participate in determining this year’s winner. Through the power and ease of text messaging, fan voting will account for an unprecedented 25% of the final results – more than any other national college basketball award. At the beginning of February, CBS’ “AT&T at the Half” will feature a weekly Naismith Trophy update highlighting the players in contention.

In February, the Naismith Trophy voting academy, comprised of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country, will narrow its early season list to the Top 30 players in the nation. Those players, and others who distinguish themselves throughout the season, will be eligible for the final ballot in March.

Other notable Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year winners include Bill Walton, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing and David Robinson. The Naismith Trophy is the most prestigious national award presented annually to college basketball’s player of the year.

For more information, visit www.naismithawards.com.

2008-09 Naismith Trophy Early Season Watch List:

Last	First	Class	Position	School
Abrams	A.J.	Sr.	Guard	Texas
Adrien	Jeff	Sr.	Forward	Connecticut
Akognon	Josh	Sr.	Guard	Cal. St. Fullerton
Blair	DeJuan	So.	Forward	Pittsburgh
Brockman	Jon	Sr.	Forward	Washington
Brown	Derrick	Jr.	Forward	Xavier
Budinger	Chase	Jr.	Forward	Arizona
Calathes	Nick	So.	Guard/Forward	Florida
Clark	Earl	Jr.	Guard/Forward	Louisville
Collins	Sherron	Jr.	Guard	Kansas
Collison	Darren	Sr.	Guard	UCLA
Cummard	Lee	Sr.	Guard	Brigham Young
Curry	Stephen	Jr.	Guard	Davidson
Downey	Devan	Jr.	Guard	South Carolina
Dozier	Robert	Sr.	Forward	Memphis
Ellington	Wayne	Jr.	Guard	North Carolina
Gibson	Taj	Jr.	Forward	Southern California
Griffin	Blake	So.	Forward	Oklahoma
Hansbrough	Tyler	Sr.	Forward	North Carolina
Harangody	Luke	Jr.	Forward	Notre Dame
Harden	James	So.	Guard	Arizona State
Henderson	Gerald	Jr.	Guard/Forward	Duke
Heytvelt	Josh	Sr.	Forward	Gonzaga
Hudson	Lester	Sr.	Guard	University of Tennessee-Martin
Hummel	Robbie	So.	Forward	Purdue
James	Dominic	Sr.	Guard	Marquette
James	Damion	Jr.	Guard/Forward	Texas
Jerrells	Curtis	Sr.	Guard	Baylor
Lawal	Gani	So.	Forward	Georgia Tech
Lawson	Ty	Jr.	Guard	North Carolina
Maynor	Eric	Sr.	Guard	Virginia Commonwealth
Mayo	Josh	Sr.	Guard	Illinois-Chicago
McAlarney	Kyle	Sr.	Guard	Notre Dame
McClinton	Jack	Sr.	Guard	Miami
McNeal	Jerel	Sr.	Guard	Marquette
Mills	Patrick	So.	Guard	Saint Mary's
Moore	E'Twaun	So.	Guard	Purdue
Morgan	Raymar	Jr.	Forward	Michigan State
Ogilvy	A.J.	So.	Center	Vanderbilt
Pargo	Jeremy	Sr.	Guard	Gonzaga
Patterson	Patrick	So.	Forward	Kentucky
Price	A.J.	Sr.	Guard	Connecticut
Reynolds	Scottie	Jr.	Guard	Villanova
Rice	Tyrese	Sr.	Guard	Boston College
Smith	Tyler	Jr.	Forward	Tennessee
Steele	Ronald	Sr.	Guard	Alabama
Thabeet	Hasheem	Jr.	Center	Connecticut
Vaden	Robert	Sr.	Guard/Forward	Alabama-Birmingham
Wilkinson	Gary	Sr.	Forward	Utah State
Young	Sam	Sr.	Forward	Pittsburgh