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Cingular Wireless Again Inviting Fans to Help Select This Year's Winner ATLANTA, Nov. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Fifty of the country's top collegiate men's basketball players were named as pre-season candidates for the Naismith Trophy presented by Cingular Wireless, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today. The Naismith Trophy is the most prestigious national award presented annually to the men's and women's players of the year. The Top 50 list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, comprised of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country. The board based its pre-season criteria on player performances from last season. "The Board of Selectors has done a terrific job in identifying a pre- season candidates' list of 50 elite players," said Gary Stokan, Atlanta Tipoff Club president. "Without doubt, this will be another great year of competition to see who will be this year's Naismith winner." Cingular Wireless, the nation's largest wireless carrier, will again give fans a voice in selecting this year's winner. Fan voting, through the power and ease of text messaging, will account for 25% of the selection process. This program sets the standard for integrating fans into the voting process and providing them with more input than with any other major collegiate sports award. "The Naismith Trophy represents the pinnacle of individual achievement in college basketball," said Marc Lefar, Chief Marketing Officer for Cingular. "Cingular is proud to again partner with the Atlanta Tipoff Club to recognize the outstanding student-athletes who make the game of college basketball so exciting. We invite all fans to participate in the voting process this season and make their voice heard." In January, the Board of Selectors 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' "Cingular at the Half" will feature a weekly Naismith Trophy Watch highlighting the players in contention. In April, the player of the year will be recognized at the NCAA Men's Final Four in Indianapolis. The pre-season candidates for the Naismith Trophy presented by Cingular Wireless, listed in alphabetical order, are as follows: Hassan Adams 6'4" Sr. Guard Arizona Maurice Ager 6'5" Sr. Guard Michigan State Josh Boone 6'10" Jr. Forward/Center Connecticut Brandon Bowman 6'8" Sr. Forward Georgetown Ronnie Brewer 6'7" Jr. Guard Arkansas Dee Brown 5'11" Sr. Guard Illinois Shannon Brown 6'4" So. Guard Michigan State Greg Brunner 6'7" Sr. Forward Iowa Nik Caner-Medley 6'8" Sr. Forward Maryland Rodney Carney 6'7" Sr. Forward Memphis Mardy Collins 6'6" Sr. Guard Temple Jameson Curry 6'3" So. Guard Oklahoma State Paul Davis 6'11" Sr. Center Michigan State Glen Davis 6'9" So. Forward Louisiana State Taquan Dean 6'3" Sr. Guard Louisville Guillermo Diaz 6'2" Jr. Guard Miami Jared Dudley 6'7" Jr. Forward Boston College Jordan Farmar 6'2" So. Guard UCLA Nick Fazekas 6'11" Jr. Forward Nevada Mike Gansey 6'4" Sr. Forward West Virginia Rudy Gay 6'9" So. Forward Connecticut Daniel Gibson 6'2" So. Guard Texas Justin Gray 6'2" Sr. Guard Wake Forest Taj Gray 6'9" Sr. Forward Oklahoma Jeff Green 6'8" So. Forward Georgetown Vincent Grier 6'5" Jr. Guard Minnesota Chris Hernandez 6'2" Sr. Guard Stanford Eric Hicks 6'6" Sr. Forward Cincinnati Jeff Horner 6'3" Sr. Guard Iowa Carl Krauser 6'2" Jr. Guard Pittsburgh Bo McCalebb 6'0" Jr. Guard New Orleans Gerry McNamara 6'2" Sr. Guard Syracuse Paul Millsap 6'8" Jr. Forward Louisiana Tech Adam Morrison 6'8" Jr. Forward Gonzaga Kevin Pittsnogle 6'11" Sr. Center West Virginia Leon Powe 6'8" Jr. Forward Cal Rajon Rando 6'1" So. Guard Kentucky Allan Ray 6'2" Sr. Guard Villanova Brandon Roy 6'6" Sr. Guard Washington J.J. Redick 6'4" Sr. Guard Duke Craig Smith 6'7" Sr. Forward Boston College Steven Smith 6'7" Sr. Forward LaSalle Curtis Stinson 6'3" Jr. Guard Iowa Curtis Sumpter 6'7" Sr. Forward Villanova P.J. Tucker 6'5" Jr. Forward Texas Alando Tucker 6'5" So. Forward Wisconsin Darius Washington 6'2" So. Guard Memphis Shelden Williams 6'9" Sr. Forward Duke Eric Williams 6'9" Sr. Center Wake Forest Curtis Withers 6'8" Sr. Forward Charlotte Last year's Naismith Trophy recipient was University of Utah center Andrew Bogut. Other notable men's college player of the year winners include Bill Walton, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing and Christian Laettner. For more information, visit http://www.naismithawards.com/. ABOUT THE ATLANTA TIPOFF CLUB The Atlanta Tipoff Club, an Atlanta Sports Council property, is committed to promoting the game of basketball and recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of those who make the game so exciting. The Atlanta Tipoff Club has presented the Naismith Trophy since Lew Alcindor first won the award in 1969. About Cingular Wireless Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the United States, serving 52.3 million customers. Cingular, a joint venture between AT&T Inc., formerly SBC Communications Inc., (NYSE:SBC) and BellSouth Corporation (NYSE:BLS), has the largest digital voice and data network in the nation -- the ALLOVER(SM) network -- and the largest mobile-to-mobile community of any national wireless carrier. Cingular is the only U.S. wireless carrier to offer Rollover(SM), the wireless plan that lets customers keep their unused monthly minutes. Details of the company are available at http://www.cingular.com/ . Get Cingular Wireless press releases e-mailed to you automatically. Sign up at http://www.cingular.com/newsroom . DATASOURCE: Atlanta Tipoff Club CONTACT: Matt Garvey of Atlanta Sports Council, +1-404-586-8496 Web site: http://www.naismithawards.com/ http://www.cingular.com/newsroom http://www.cingular.com/

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