Several Huskies Included Among Naismith Player of the Year Awards Finalists

ATLANTA, GA (February 12, 2002) - Jackie Bradford, Executive Director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club, announced Tuesday the twenty collegiate men and women finalists for the Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year Awards.

On the men’s side, Caron Butler (So., Racine, WI) was listed among the finalists, while the top-ranked women had four of its five starters named: Sue Bird (Sr., Syosset, NY) Swin Cash (Sr., McKeesport, PA), Tamika Williams (Sr., Dayton, OH) and Diana Taurasi (So., Chino, CA).

The Naismith Board of Selectors, which includes some of the country’s leading basketball coaches, journalists and administrators, began the selection process earlier this year and have reduced the number of finalist by balloting to the twenty top male and female players they felt most deserving of the award.

The Naismith Awards program, now in its 34th year, honors the outstanding college basketball players in the United States. The awards program was founded by the Atlanta Tipoff Club, an organization dedicated to recognizing the achievements of excellence in basketball for student-athletes.

The winners of the Naismith Awards will be honored in Atlanta on Friday, April 5, 2002.

The finalists for the Naismith College Player of the Year Award are as follows: