UCONN, ACC and Big East Headline Naismith Trophy                
Mid-Season Candidate List
Winner To Be Announced at the Final Four in St. Louis

ATLANTA (Feb. 25, 2009) – The Connecticut women’s basketball program won three consecutive Naismith Trophies earlier this decade, and after a three-year hiatus, the Lady Huskies are poised to make a run at No. 4 as three of their players headline the 30 mid-season candidates for the 2009 Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today. Senior Renee Montgomery, junior Tina Charles and sophomore Maya Moore were named to the list and pace the Big East conference, which ties the ACC with seven finalists each. The Big 12 placed six candidates, including Courtney Paris (Oklahoma) and Andrea Riley (Oklahoma State).

Moore (2006, 2007) and Paris (2005) also own three Naismith High School Girl’s Player of the Year awards between them. Paris also has been a Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year finalist the past three seasons.

The top 30 women’s list 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. The vote was tabulated and certified by the accounting firm of Habif, Arogeti & Wynne, LLP. HA&W is the largest independent accounting firm in Georgia and one of the top 50 firms in the United States.

The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T is the most prestigious national basketball award given annually to the men’s college basketball player of the year. This 2009 winner will be announced at the NCAA Women’s Final Four in St. Louis.

“What’s most impressive about these candidates is the leadership role that they have exhibited in leading their respective teams to success this year,” said Gary Stokan, president of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. “Their confluence of skills is befitting of the most prestigious trophy in all of college basketball, and we look forward to seeing which one emerges as the winner.”

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 percent of the final results — more than any other national college basketball award. This year, 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.

 “The Naismith Trophy is unique among college awards in that it gives the fans a real voice in selecting the top player in the country,” said Tim McGhee, executive director, AT&T Corporate Sponsorships.  “AT&T is proud to sponsor the Naismith and to empower fans to make sure their voices are heard”

2009 Naismith Women’s Mid-season Candidates:

Fans will be eligible to cast their vote for the winner until 9 p.m. EDT on Saturday, April 4. 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.

Other notable Naismith Trophy past winners include Cheryl Miller (USC), Dawn Staley (Virginia) and last year’s winner, Candace Parker (Tennessee). 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.

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 an emblem of excellence for the game, 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.

ABOUT AT&T Inc.
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, the nation’s fastest 3G network and the best wireless coverage worldwide, and the nation's leading 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 their three-screen integration strategy, AT&T operating companies are expanding their TV entertainment offerings. In 2008, AT&T again ranked No. 1 in the telecommunications industry on FORTUNE®magazine’s lists of the World’s Most Admired Companies and America’s Most Admired Companies. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com.
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