Kansas' Aldrich and Collins Named Naismith Trophy Midseason Candidates
Feb. 24, 2010
ATLANTA – Kansas senior Sherron Collins and junior Cole Aldrich have been named to the Naismith Trophy Midseason Candidates list, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Wednesday.
Collins is on the list for the second straight season, while Aldrich, who was named the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America-of-the-Year Monday, is on the list for the first time.
The top 30 midseason men’s list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors, comprised of leading basketball journalists from around the country. The board based its criteria on player performances this season. Two schools, Kansas and Kentucky, are represented by two players apiece.
Collins has won a school-record 124 games while at Kansas, including four Big 12 regular-season titles, two Big 12 postseason championships, three NCAA Tournament Swwet 16s, two Elite Eights, one Final Four and the 2008 NCAA National Championship. The Chicago guard leads Kansas in scoring for all games with 15.1 ppg. Collins is third in the Big 12 with his 85.7 free throw percentage. Collins’ 15.1-point scoring average is 13th in the Big 12. Collins also ranks among the league leaders in field goal percentage (11th at 42.2), assists (fifth at 4.3), three-point field goal percentage (13th at 36.8), three-point field goals made (11th at 2.0) and assist-to-turnover ratio (sixth at 2.0).
Aldrich has seven double-doubles in his last 10 games and 35 for his career (13 this season). The Bloomington, Minn., center is one of three Big 12 players averaging a double-double (11.6 ppg and 10.2 rpg). Aldrich has pulled down at least nine rebounds in 15 of his last 19 games. Aldrich has been named Big 12 Player of the Week twice (Feb. 1 and Jan. 4). He is second in the Big 12 and ranks sixth nationally with 3.8 blocked shots per game. Aldrich is third in the Big 12 in rebounding at 10.2 rpg.
The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T is the most prestigious national basketball award and is given annually to the men’s college basketball player of the year. This year, the award will be presented at the NCAA Men’s Final Four in Indianapolis.
As a presenting sponsor since 2005, AT&T has set the standard in fan participation 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.
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. Fans will be eligible to cast their vote for the winner until 11:59 p.m. EDT on Saturday, April 3, 2010. 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. Standard messaging rates apply.
CBS Sports’ “AT&T at the Half” features a weekly Naismith Trophy Watch, highlighting the men’s players in contention for the coveted award who have distinguished themselves throughout the season. On March 21, CBS will announce the four Naismith Trophy finalists during its first-round coverage of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
2010 Naismith Men’s Mid-Season Candidates
Name, School
Cole Aldrich, KANSAS
Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest
James Anderson, Oklahoma State
Luke Babbitt, Nevada
Trevor Booker, Clemson
Matt Bouldin, Gonzaga
Da’Sean Butler, West Virginia
Sherron Collins, KANSAS
DeMarcus Cousins, Kentucky
Devan Downey, South Carolina
Jerome Dyson, Connecticut
Jimmer Fredette, BYU
Luke Harangody, Notre Dame
Gordon Hayward, Butler
Robbie Hummel, Purdue
Damion James, Texas
Wesley Johnson, Syracuse
Dominique Jones, South Florida
Sylven Landesberg, Virginia
Gani Lawal, Georgia Tech
Kalin Lucas, Michigan State
Greg Monroe, Georgetown
Jacob Pullen, Kansas State
Scottie Reynolds, Villanova
Omar Samhan, Saint Mary’s
Jon Scheyer, Duke
Evan Turner, Ohio State
Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State
Greivis Vasquez, Maryland
John Wall, Kentucky
For more information, visit www.naismithawards.com.
