Press Box - Release - Final 30

PARKER, PARIS HEADLINE NAISMITH CANDIDATES LIST

Finalists From Last Season Make Strong Push For Coveted Award

ATLANTA (Jan. 29, 2008) – Three former Naismith High School Player of the Year winners are among 31 candidates vying for the 2008 Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today. Tennessee’s Candace Parker and Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris, both finalists for the Naismith Trophy a year ago and two-time All-Americans, join Connecticut freshman Maya Moore on the Naismith mid-season list.

The three collectively have won the past five Naismith National High School trophies. Parker (2003, 2004) and Moore (2006, 2007) hold the distinction as the only female athletes ever to win the award twice, with Paris claiming the trophy in 2005.

The women’s list, which includes 31 candidates because of a tie, was voted on by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors, comprised of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country. The board based its criteria on player performances this season, and the list was narrowed down from the pre-season list of 50 candidates who were announced at the beginning of the season.

“It gives us tremendous pride to see our former high school winners continue to improve and take their game to the next level, and become candidates for the college award,” said Gary Stokan, Atlanta Tipoff Club president. “Additionally, there is tremendous balance as evidenced by the number of seniors and underclassmen, and the fact we had a tie at number 30. Our voters will have a difficult time selecting the winner for the most prestigious award in all of college basketball.”

Again this year AT&T will give fans an unprecedented voice in selecting the winner. Fan voting, through the power and ease of text messaging, will account for 25 percent of the selection process. This program sets the standard in college athletics for integrating fans into the voting process and providing them with more input than with any other major collegiate sports award.

Fans will be eligible to cast their vote for the winner until April 5. 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. The Women’s Naismith Trophy winner will be announced April 7 at the 2008 NCAA Final Four in Tampa.

The mid-season candidates for the Naismith Women’s Trophy presented by AT&T, listed in alphabetical order, are as follows:

2008 Naismith Women’s Mid-Season Candidates

Last	First	Class	Position	School
Allen	Charel	Senior	Guard	Notre Dame
Allison	Rachel	Junior	Forward	Baylor
Anderson	Jolene	Senior	Guard	Wisconsin
Appel	Jayne	Sophomore	Forward/Center	Stanford
Black	Chante	Junior	Center	Duke
Bonner	DeWanna	Junior	Guard	Auburn
Charles	Tina	Sophomore	Center	Connecticut
DeHaan	Allyssa	Sophomore	Center	Michigan State
Fowles	Sylvia	Senior	Center	LSU
Harper	Laura	Senior	Forward/Center	Maryland
Holt	Amber	Senior	Forward	Middle Tennessee State
Humphrey	Tasha	Senior	Forward	Georgia
Kelly	Crystal	Senior	Forward	Western Kentucky
Langhorne	Crystal	Senior	Forward/Center	Maryland
Larkins	Erlana	Senior	Forward	North Carolina
Lavender	Jantel	Freshman	Center	Ohio State
McCoughtry	Angel	Junior	Forward	Louisville
McFarland	Jackie	Senior	Forward	Colorado
Moore	Maya	Freshman	Forward	Connecticut
Paris	Courtney	Junior	Center	Oklahoma
Parker	Candace	Junior	Guard/Forward	Tennessee
Prince	Epiphanny	Sophomore	Guard	Rutgers
Riley	Andrea	Sophomore	Guard	Oklahoma State
Quigley	Allie	Senior	Guard	DePaul
Starks	Takia	Junior	Guard	Texas A&M
Toliver	Kristi	Junior	Guard	Maryland
Walker	Ashley	Junior	Forward/Center	California
Walker	Marcedes	Senior	Center	Pittsburgh
Whittington	Khadijah	Senior	Forward	North Carolina State
Wiggins	Candice	Senior	Guard	Stanford
Zellous	Shavonte	Junior	Guard	Pittsburgh

Last year’s Naismith Trophy recipient, Duke’s Lindsey Harding, became the Blue Devils first ever winner of the award. She was honored during halftime of the Blue Devils' game against North Carolina State with a banner bearing her number hanging in the rafters at Cameron Indoor Stadium. She currently plays for the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA.

ABOUT THE ATLANTA TIPOFF CLUB
The Atlanta Tipoff Club, an Atlanta Sports Council property, is committed to promoting the game of basketball and recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of those who make the game so exciting. The Atlanta Tipoff Club has presented the Naismith Trophy since UCLA’s Lew Alcindor first won the award in 1969.

The Naismith Awards program has become an emblem of excellence for the game, recognizing the Men’s and Women’s College Player of the Year, Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year, as well as awards for outstanding achievement in high school basketball, officiating, and overall contribution to the game.

ABOUT AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. Among their offerings are the world's most advanced IP-based business communications services and the nation's leading wireless, high speed Internet access and voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of its three-screen integration strategy, AT&T is expanding its TV entertainment offerings. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at www.att.com.

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