Duhon, Redick, Beard And Tillis All Naismith Finalists

Feb. 17, 2004

ATLANTA, Ga. - Four Duke players, two men and two women, are finalists for the 2004 Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year Award. Alana Beard and Iciss Tillis from the women's team and Chris Duhon and J.J. Redick from the men's team are all on the list of 16 finalists for the women's and men's award, respectively.

Duke and Connecticut are the only two men's teams with more than one finalist while on the women's side, Duke is joined by Texas and Kansas State with two finalists apiece.

Jackie Bradford, President of the Atlanta Tipoff Club, announced today the twenty collegiate men and women finalists for the Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year Award.

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. They have reduced the number of finalists by balloting to the twenty top male and female players they feel most deserving of the award.

The winners of the Naismith Awards, the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball, will be honored in Atlanta on Friday, April 9, 2004.

The finalists for the Naismith College Player of the Year Award (listed alphabetically) are as follows:

MEN

Josh Childress, Stanford
Ike Diogu, Arizona State
Chris Duhon, Duke
Andre Emmett, Texas Tech
Raymond Felton, North Carolina
Matt Freije, Vanderbilt
Francisco Garcia, Louisville
Ryan Gomes, Providence
Ben Gordon, Connecticut
Devin Harris, Wisconsin
Julius Hodge, NC State
Luke Jackson, Oregon
Jameer Nelson, Saint Joseph's
Emeka Okafor, Connecticut
J.J. Redick, Duke
Lawrence Roberts, Mississippi State
Wayne Simien, Kansas
Ronny Turiaf, Gonzaga
Hakim Warrick, Syracuse
Bracey Wright, Indiana

WOMEN

Seimone Augustus, Louisiana State
Jacqueline Batteast, Notre Dame
Alana Beard, Duke
Tera Bjorklund, Colorado
Jamie Carey, Texas
Shameka Christon, Arkansas
Shyra Ely, Tennessee
Trina Frierson, LA Tech
Chandi Jones, Houston
Kelly Mazzante, Penn State
Nicole Ohlde, Kansas State
Cappie Pondexter, Rutgers
Nicole Powell, Stanford
Stacy Stephens, Texas
Diana Taurasi, Connecticut
Christi Thomas, Georgia
Iciss Tillis, Duke
Kendra Wecker, Kansas State
Lindsay Whalen, Minnesota
Shereka Wright, Purdue

The Naismith Awards program, now in its 36th year, honors 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. Please visit our web page at for more information on the Naismith Awards and past winners.