Kansas Junior Marcus Morris Named to Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List
Nov. 16, 2010
ATLANTA – Kansas junior Marcus Morris was named to the 2010-11 Naismith Trophy preseason watch list the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Tuesday.
In Kansas’ two victories this season, Morris leads Kansas with a 20-point scoring average. The 6-9 Philadelphia, Pa., forward is 17-for-22 from the floor for a 77.3 shooting percentage, including 3-for-5 (60 percent) from three-point range. Morris has been listed on numerous preseason All-America teams entering the 2010-11 season. Morris is a two-year starter for the Jayhawks and earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors last season when he led the conference in field goal percentage for league games at 56.1 percent. Last season, Morris had five games of 20-plus points, 14 contests with eight or more rebounds and averaged 12.8 points and 6.8 rebounds.
Kansas’ Danny Manning, a current assistant on the Jayhawk staff, won the 1988 Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year Trophy.
The watch list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors, which based its criteria on player performances from the previous year and expectations for the 2010-11 college basketball season. The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T will be awarded at the 2011 NCAA Men’s Final Four in Houston.
Since 2005, presenting sponsor AT&T has set the standard in allowing fans to participate in determining the trophy winner. Through the power and ease of text messaging, fan voting will account for 25 percent of all of the final results – more than any other national college basketball award.
In February, during CBS’ coverage of college basketball, the “AT&T at the Half” segment will feature a Naismith Trophy update highlighting the players in contention for the award.
In late February, the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors will compile a mid-season team of the top 30 players in the nation. Then in March, the Naismith Trophy voting academy will vote to narrow the list to four finalists.
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.
2010-11 Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List
Lavoy Allen, Temple
Kevin Anderson, Richmond
Harrison Barnes, North Carolina
Will Barton, Memphis
Talor Battle, Penn State
Keith Benson, Oakland
William Buford, Ohio State
Alec Burks, Colorado
Randy Culpepper, UTEP
Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech
Kim English, Missouri
Kenneth Faried, Morehead State
Corey Fisher, Villanova
Jimmer Fredette, BYU
Austin Freeman, Georgetown
Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh
Elias Harris, Gonzaga
Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall
Kyrie Irving, Duke
Charles Jenkins, Hofstra
JaJuan Johnson, Purdue
Kevin Jones, West Virginia
Perry Jones, Baylor
Kris Joseph, Syracuse
Brandon Knight, Kentucky
Kawhi Leonard, San Diego State
Jon Leuer, Wisconsin
Kalin Lucas, Michigan State
Shelvin Mack, Butler
Demetri McCarney, Illinois
E’Twaun Moore, Purdue
Marcus Morris, KANSAS
Chandler Parsons, Florida
Jacob Pullen, Kansas State
Kyle Singler, Duke
Chris Singleton, Florida State
John Shurna, Northwestern
Nolan Smith, Duke
Jared Sullinger, Ohio State
Durrell Summers, Michigan State
Jeff Taylor, Vanderbilt
Isaiah Thomas, Washington
Trey Thompkins, Georgia
Klay Thompson, Washington State
Kemba Walker, Connecticut
Chris Warren, Mississippi
Derrick Williams, Arizona
Jordan Williams, Maryland
Chris Wright, Dayton
Tyler Zeller, North Carolina
