Atlanta Tipoff Club Reveals Top 30 Candidates for 2013 Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year Award presented by AT&T
Duos from Indiana, Kansas and Duke Headline this Year's List
ATLANTA (Feb. 26, 2013) – Indiana junior Victor Oladipo and sophomore Cody Zeller headline the list of top 30 candidates for the 2013 Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year award presented by AT&T, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today. A win for one of the two Hoosiers, who have been highly ranked all season, would be the first in 20 years for Indiana, since Calbert Cheaney last took home the honor in 1993. Prior to Cheaney, Scott May won the award in 1976.
Kansas (Ben McLemore, Jeff Withey) and Duke (Seth Curry, Mason Plumlee) join Indiana with two candidates each on the top 30 list. Creighton Junior Doug McDermott, a 2012 Naismith Trophy finalist, is once again among the elite players in the race to be named the best player in men’s college basketball.
The top 30 candidates were selected by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors, which based its criteria on player performances to this point in the 2013 men’s college basketball season. In late March, the Naismith Trophy voting academy will narrow down the list to four finalists. The Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year presented by AT&T will be awarded on April 7, 2013 in Atlanta.
For the ninth consecutive year, fans will have the opportunity to text their votes for the player of their choice and help determine the 2013 Naismith Trophy winner. Voting will open to fans on Monday, March 25. Naismith Trophy presenting sponsor AT&T is making the voting open to other wireless carriers, enabling even more fans to participate.
“This season has re-defined excellence on the court, as numerous talented players have put themselves in a position to win the prestigious Naismith Trophy,” said Shane Battier, spokesperson for the Naismith Awards and the only men’s player to win both a high school (1997) and college (2001) Naismith Trophy. “I am excited to see which of these great players emerges down the stretch to win this award and become the newest member of the Naismith Awards family.”
“For nearly a decade, AT&T has helped honor college basketball’s elite and their amazing performances on the court,” said Jamie Kerr, Director, AT&T Corporate Sponsorships. “AT&T enables fans to play a central role in the selection process while bringing them closer to their passion for college basketball. With such a competitive pool of student-athletes, next month’s voting is sure to be close.”
Other notable Naismith Trophy alumni include a pair of three-time winners in Bill Walton (1972, 73, 74) and Ralph Sampson (181, 82, 83), Michael Jordan (1984), Kevin Durant (2007) and last year’s winner, Anthony Davis of Kentucky. The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T is the most prestigious national award presented annually to college basketball’s best player.
For more information, visit www.naismithawards.com.
Top 30 Candidates for 2013 Naismith Men’s Player of the Year Award:
Last Name |
First Name
|
Class
|
Position
|
School
|
|
Bennett
|
Anthony
|
Freshman
|
F
|
UNLV
|
|
Berggren
|
Jared
|
Senior
|
F
|
Wisconsin
|
|
Burke
|
Trey
|
Sophomore
|
G
|
Michigan
|
|
Canaan
|
Isaiah
|
Senior
|
G
|
Murray State
|
|
Carter-Williams
|
Michael
|
Sophomore
|
G
|
Syracuse
|
|
Clark
|
Ian
|
Senior
|
G
|
Belmont
|
|
Clarke
|
Rotnei
|
Senior
|
G
|
Butler
|
|
Cooley
|
Jack
|
Senior
|
C
|
Notre Dame
|
|
Crabbe
|
Allen
|
Junior
|
G
|
California
|
|
Curry
|
Seth
|
Senior
|
G
|
Duke
|
|
Dellavedova
|
Matthew
|
Senior
|
G
|
Saint Mary's
|
|
Franklin
|
Jamaal
|
Junior
|
G
|
San Diego State
|
|
Kilpatrick
|
Sean
|
Junior
|
F
|
Cincinnati
|
|
Larkin
|
Shane
|
Sophomore
|
G
|
Miami
|
|
McDermott
|
Doug
|
Junior
|
F
|
Creighton
|
|
McGruder
|
Rodney
|
Senior
|
G
|
Kansas State
|
|
McLemore
|
Ben
|
Freshman
|
G
|
Kansas
|
|
Muhammad
|
Shabazz
|
Freshman
|
G
|
UCLA
|
|
Muscala
|
Mike
|
Senior
|
C
|
Bucknell
|
|
Oladipo
|
Victor
|
Junior
|
G
|
Indiana
|
|
Olynyk
|
Kelly
|
Senior
|
C
|
Gonzaga
|
|
Paul
|
Brandon
|
Senior
|
G
|
Illinois
|
|
Plumlee
|
Mason
|
Senior
|
F
|
Duke
|
|
Porter Jr.
|
Otto
|
Sophomore
|
F
|
Georgetown
|
|
Smart
|
Marcus
|
Freshman
|
G
|
Oklahoma State
|
|
Smith
|
Russ
|
Junior
|
G
|
Louisville
|
|
Thomas
|
Deshaun
|
Junior
|
F
|
Ohio State
|
|
Withey
|
Jeff
|
Senior
|
C
|
Kansas
|
|
Wolters
|
Nate
|
Senior
|
G
|
South Dakota State
|
|
Zeller
|
Cody
|
Sophomore
|
F
|
Indiana
|
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, founded during the 1956-57 season, has presented the Naismith Trophy every year since UCLA’s Lew Alcindor first won the award in 1969. Old Dominion’s Anne Donovan won the inaugural Women’s Naismith Trophy in 1983.
The Naismith Award has become the most prestigious award in all of college basketball, recognizing the Men’s and Women’s College Basketball Player of the Year, Men’s and Women’s College Basketball Coach of the Year, as well as awards for outstanding achievement in high school basketball, officiating, and contribution to the game.
