THREE CAA WOMEN?S BASKETBALL PLAYERS NAMED TO NAISMITH TROPHY PRESEASON WATCH LIST
RICHMOND, Va. (November 19, 2009) - Delaware freshman forward Elena Delle Donne, James Madison junior guard Dawn Evans and Drexel senior forward Gabriela Marginean were selected to the Naismith Trophy preseason watch list on Wednesday.
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 2009-10 college basketball season. The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T will be awarded at the 2010 NCAA Women’s Final Four in San Antonio, Tx.
Evans set a school and CAA record for scoring average last season, when she poured in 23.8 points per game. Her output ranked second in the NCAA among Division I players.
Delle Donne was named the National Player of the Year by the Naismith, McDonald’s and Gatorade foundations during the 2007-08 season as a high school senior.
Marginean, CAA Preseason Player of the Year, was chosen after finishing last season ranked third in the nation in scoring with 23.3 points per game. The senior returns a year after guiding the Dragons to their first CAA Championship title and trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Wooden Award candidate enters her final season on pace to become the CAA’s all-time leading scorer.
Marginean and Evans were voted to the CAA Preseason first team, while Delle Donne was named to the preseason second team All-CAA.
Since 2005, presenting sponsor AT&T has set the standard in allowing fans to participate in determining the trophy 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.
In late February, the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors will compile a mid-season team of the top 30 players in the nation. Then in March, the Naismith Trophy voting academy will vote to narrow the list to the four finalists.
Others to accomplish the dual-level feat of winning both a high school and college Naismith Trophy include Connecticut's Diana Taurasi (2000 in high school; and both 2003 and 2004 in college), Tennessee's Tamika Catchings (1997, 1998; 2000), Candace Parker (2003 and 2004; 2008) and Chamique Holdsclaw (1995; 1998 and 1999) and USC's Lisa Leslie (1990; 1994).
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.
2009-10 Naismith Trophy Preseason watch list:
|
LAST NAME
|
FIRST NAME
|
SCHOOL
|
POSITION
|
CLASS
|
|
Appel
|
Jayne
|
Stanford
|
Center
|
Senior
|
|
Barlow
|
Ashley
|
Notre Dame
|
Guard
|
Senior
|
|
Breland
|
Jessica
|
North Carolina
|
Forward
|
Senior
|
|
Charles
|
Tina
|
UConn
|
Center
|
Senior
|
|
Clark
|
Alysha
|
Middle Tennessee
|
Forward
|
Senior
|
|
DeHaan
|
Allyssa
|
Michigan State
|
Center
|
Senior
|
|
Delle Donne
|
Elena
|
Delaware
|
Forward/Guard
|
Freshman
|
|
Diggins
|
Skylar
|
Notre Dame
|
Guard
|
Freshman
|
|
Evans
|
Dawn
|
James Madison
|
Guard
|
Junior
|
|
Fitz
|
Rachele
|
Marist
|
Forward
|
Senior
|
|
Grant
|
Tyra
|
Penn State
|
Guard
|
Senior
|
|
Gray-Lawson
|
Alexis
|
California
|
Guard
|
Senior
|
|
Griffin
|
Kelsey
|
Nebraska
|
Forward
|
Senior
|
|
Griner
|
Brittney
|
Baylor
|
Center
|
Freshman
|
|
Hardy
|
Lele
|
Clemson
|
Forward/Guard
|
Senior
|
|
Harris
|
Amber
|
Xavier
|
Forward
|
Junior
|
|
Hayes
|
Tiffany
|
UConn
|
Guard
|
Sophomore
|
|
Hightower
|
Allison
|
LSU
|
Guard
|
Senior
|
|
Houts
|
Ashley
|
Georgia
|
Guard
|
Senior
|
|
Hughes
|
Jareica
|
UTEP
|
Guard
|
Senior
|
|
Jaeschke
|
Amy
|
Northwestern
|
Center
|
Junior
|
|
Johnson
|
Shenise
|
Miami
|
Forward
|
Sophomore
|
|
Lavender
|
Jantel
|
Ohio State
|
Center
|
Junior
|
|
Lucas
|
Italee
|
North Carolina
|
Guard
|
Junior
|
|
Marginean
|
Gabriela
|
Drexel
|
Forward
|
Senior
|
|
McCray
|
Danielle
|
Kansas
|
Forward/Guard
|
Senior
|
|
Monroe
|
Jacinta
|
Florida State
|
Forward
|
Senior
|
|
Montgomery
|
Alex
|
Georgia Tech
|
Forward/Guard
|
Junior
|
|
Moore
|
Maya
|
UConn
|
Forward
|
Junior
|
|
Morris
|
Jené
|
San Diego State
|
Guard
|
Senior
|
|
Naughton
|
Deirdre
|
DePaul
|
Guard
|
Senior
|
|
Pedersen
|
Kayla
|
Stanford
|
Forward
|
Junior
|
|
Phillips
|
Ta'Shia
|
Xavier
|
Center
|
Junior
|
|
Pohlen
|
Jeanette
|
Stanford
|
Guard
|
Junior
|
|
Prahalis
|
Samantha
|
Ohio State
|
Guard
|
Sophomore
|
|
Raven
|
Brittainey
|
Texas
|
Guard
|
Senior
|
|
Riley
|
Andrea
|
Oklahoma State
|
Guard
|
Senior
|
|
Robinson
|
Danielle
|
Oklahoma
|
Guard
|
Junior
|
|
Robinson
|
Angel
|
Marquette
|
Guard
|
Junior
|
|
Smith
|
Jenna
|
Illinois
|
Center
|
Senior
|
|
Stevens
|
Da'Shena
|
St. John's
|
Forward
|
Sophomore
|
|
Stricklen
|
Shekinna
|
Tennessee
|
Forward/Guard
|
Sophomore
|
|
Sverrisdottir
|
Helena
|
TCU
|
Guard
|
Junior
|
|
Sweat
|
Ashley
|
Kansas State
|
Forward
|
Senior
|
|
Swords
|
Carolyn
|
Boston College
|
Center
|
Junior
|
|
Thomas
|
Bianca
|
Ole Miss
|
Guard
|
Senior
|
|
Thomas
|
Jasmine
|
Duke
|
Guard
|
Junior
|
|
Vandersloot
|
Courtney
|
Gonzaga
|
Guard
|
Junior
|
|
Whipple
|
Kalee
|
Utah
|
Forward
|
Senior
|
|
Wright
|
Monica
|
Virginia
|
Guard
|
Senior
|