Carroll is one of 50 players named to the preseason list.
Oct. 30, 2007
LOGAN, Utah -
Utah State All-American Jaycee Carroll continues to receive national attention this fall and was recently named to the preseason watch list for the 2007-08 Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced. Last week, Carroll was named one of 50 preseason candidates for the 2007-08 John R. Wood Award.
The Naismith Trophy watch list, which consists of 50 players, was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selector's, which based its preseason criteria on player performances from last season and expectations for the 2007-08 season. There were 17 seniors and 17 juniors on the preseason list, along with 16 sophomores. The list does not include incoming freshmen, although those student-athletes will be considered in the first vote in January, 2008. The Naismith Trophy is the most prestigious national award presented annually to college basketball's player of the year.
"The talent level is vast and far-reaching which indicates competition continues to grow at a high rate," said Gary Stokan, Atlanta Tipoff Club president. "The winner of the Naismith Trophy can come from any conference and any class rank, as we witnessed last year with our first ever freshman winner, Kevin Durant of Texas."
AT&T will continue to set the standard in allowing fans to participate in determining this year's winner. Through the power and ease of text messaging, fan voting will account for an unprecedented 25% of the final results - more than any other national college basketball award.
Carroll, a 6-2 senior guard from Evanston, Wyo., is one of just two players from the Western Athletic Conference to be named to the Naismith Trophy preseason list along with Nevada's Marcelus Kemp. Earlier this year, Carroll was voted as the WAC's preseason Player of the Year by both the coaches and media, and was listed as one of the top-15 seniors in the nation by SportsIllustrated.com and a first-team high-major All-American by Collegehoops.net.
Carroll, who earned first-team all-WAC and honorable mention Associated Press All-America honors in 2007, finished the year first in the WAC and 10th in the nation in scoring with 21.3 points per game and first in the WAC and 12th in the nation in free throw shooting at 88.8 percent. Carroll also led the WAC in three-point shooting (.432), was fifth in the league in overall shooting (.527) and 12th in rebounding (6.3).
Entering the 2007-08 season, Carroll ranks first in the nation among active Division I players in career-three point shooting (.452), is second in total points scored (1,737), third in career scoring average (17.5), seventh in three-pointers made (255) and seventh in free-throw percentage (.834).
In January, the Naismith Trophy voting academy, comprised of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country, will narrow its pre-season list to the Top 30 players in the nation. Those players, and others who distinguish themselves throughout the season, will be eligible for the final ballot in March. Beginning in mid-February, CBS' "AT&T at the Half" will feature a weekly Naismith Trophy update highlighting the players in contention. In April, the Naismith Trophy winner will be recognized at the NCAA Men's Final Four in San Antonio.
Last year's Naismith Trophy recipient was University of Texas forward Kevin Durant, who became the first freshmen ever to win the award. Other notable men's college player of the year winners include Bill Walton, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing and David Robinson.
For more information, visit www.naismithawards.com.
