WACO, Texas – Baylor's Brittney Griner is one of
four finalists for the Naismith Women's College Player of the Year
Trophy presented by AT&T, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today. Joining Griner as a 2013 finalist for the award are
Delaware's Elena Delle Donne, Notre Dame's Skylar Diggins and Chiney Ogwumike of Stanford.
Griner is the defending Naismith Women's College Player of the Year.
The finalists were chosen by the Atlanta Tipoff
Club's National Voting Academy, which determined that their performances
throughout the 2013 regular season stood out among a host of great
women's basketball players. The 2013 Naismith Women's
College Player of the Year presented by AT&T will be awarded to one
of these four finalists on April 8, 2013, in New Orleans, La.
For the ninth consecutive year, fans will have the
opportunity to vote for the player of their choice and help determine
the 2013 Naismith Trophy winner. Beginning March 25 through April 6
fans can cast their vote by calling **VOTE (**8683).*
Naismith Women's College Player of the Year Trophy presenting sponsor
AT&T is making the voting open to customers of other wireless
carriers, enabling even more fans to participate.
"These four finalists have risen above their peers
in the women's college basketball landscape, driving their teams toward
victory by achieving not only individual statistics, but making those
around them better," said Eric Oberman, Executive
Director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. "We're even more pleased that we
know with this group, one of these great players will earn a second
Naismith Trophy."
Should Griner win her second consecutive Naismith
Women's College Basketball Player of the Year Trophy presented by
AT&T, she would become the sixth women's player to achieve the honor
in back-to-back seasons (the first since LSU's Seimone
Augustus in 2005-2006) and the seventh overall multiple-time winner of
the award.
"Week-in and week-out, these student-athletes
delighted fans with impressive performances, memorable highlights and
plenty of reasons to cheer," said Jamie Kerr, Director, AT&T
Corporate Sponsorships. "Every one of these competitors deserves
careful consideration for this year's Trophy. We're excited to offer
fans the chance to help with the selection process and bring their
favorite players a reason to celebrate."
Griner, the defending Naismith Women's College
Player of the Year, was named the Big 12 Player of the Year for the
third straight season and was the league's Defensive Player of the Year
for the fourth straight year. The 6-8 Houston, Texas,
native has led the top-ranked Lady Bears to a 32-1 record, both the Big
12 Conference regular season and postseason tournament crowns and an
undefeated league record at 18-0. In addition, Griner, the reigning
consensus national player of the year, was named
the Big 12 Championships' most outstanding player for the third
straight year and is a finalists for all major player of the year
awards.
Griner is averaging 23.6 points, 9.0 rebounds and
4.2 blocks per game while shooting a nation's-leading 60.4 percent from
the floor and 71.0 percent from the free throw line.
Throughout her four-year career, Griner has
registered an NCAA and Big 12 record 736 career blocked shots and ranks
No. 2 on the NCAA Division I career scoring list with 3,203 points.
Notable past Naismith Women's College Player of the
Year winners include Chamique Holdsclaw, Lisa Leslie, Rebecca Lobo and
Maya Moore.
