Men's Basketball: Naismith Candidates
November 23, 2005 10:41 AM | General
November 23, 2005
ATLANTA - Fifty of the country's top collegiate men's basketball players were named as pre-season candidates for the Naismith Trophy presented by Cingular Wireless, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today. The Naismith Trophy is the most prestigious national award presented annually to the men's and women's players of the year.
Making the list from West Virginia are seniors Mike Gansey and Kevin Pittsnogle.
Gansey, an Olmstead Falls, Ohio, resident, had a terrrific NCAA tournament last year, scoring a career-high 29 points in a thrilling overtime win over Wake Forest in the NCAA tournament and averaging12 points per game as a junior. This year Gansey has picked up where he left off last season, scoring 28 points in a near upset of No. 2-ranked Texas Monday night in the Guardians Classic in Kansas City. Gansey is averaging 17.3 points in West Virginia's first four games.
Pittsnogle burst onto the scene last year in a big way in the NCAA tournament, scoring 25 points in an Elite-Eight loss to Louisville. Pittsnogle averaged better than 17 points per game down the stretch and finished the year by becoming the school's 42nd 1,000-point scorer. Like Gansey, Pittsnogle has had an impressive start scoring a season-high 27 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in a Guardians Classic loss to Kentucky Tuesday night. Pittsnogle, averaging 18.3 points per game, is also a John Wooden Award candidate.
The Top 50 list was compiled 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 pre-season criteria on player performances from last season.
"The Board of Selectors has done a terrific job in identifying a pre-season candidates' list of 50 elite players," said Gary Stokan, Atlanta Tipoff Club president. "Without doubt, this will be another great year of competition to see who will be this year's Naismith winner."
Cingular Wireless, the nation's largest wireless carrier, will again give fans a voice in selecting this year's winner. Fan voting, through the power and ease of text messaging, will account for 25% of the selection process. This program sets the standard for integrating fans into the voting process and providing them with more input than with any other major collegiate sports award.
"The Naismith Trophy represents the pinnacle of individual achievement in college basketball," said Marc Lefar, Chief Marketing Officer for Cingular. "Cingular is proud to again partner with the Atlanta Tipoff Club to recognize the outstanding student-athletes who make the game of college basketball so exciting. We invite all fans to participate in the voting process this season and make their voice heard."
In January, the Board of Selectors will narrow its pre-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. Beginning in mid-February, CBS' "Cingular at the Half" will feature a weekly Naismith Trophy Watch highlighting the players in contention. In April, the player of the year will be recognized at the NCAA Men's Final Four in Indianapolis.
