Paris a Naismith Semifinalist

Jan. 29, 2008

ATLANTA -- Oklahoma's Courtney Paris remains one of 31 candidates in women's basketball vying for the 2008 Naismith Trophy, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Tuesday.

This is the third season Paris has been a Naismith semifinalist. The 2007 National Player of the Year was one of four finalists for the award as both a freshman and sophomore.

Including Paris (2005), the past three Naismith High School Player of the Year winners are among the candidates. Tennessee's Candace Parker (2003 and 2004) and Connecticut's Maya Moore (2006 and 2007) are the others.

The women's list, which includes 31 candidates because of a tie, was voted on 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 criteria on player performances this season, and the list was narrowed down from the pre-season list of 50 candidates who were announced at the beginning of the season.

"It gives us tremendous pride to see our former high school winners continue to improve and take their game to the next level, and become candidates for the college award," said Gary Stokan, Atlanta Tipoff Club president. "Additionally, there is tremendous balance as evidenced by the number of seniors and underclassmen, and the fact we had a tie at number 30. Our voters will have a difficult time selecting the winner for the most prestigious award in all of college basketball."

The list of 31 will be cut to four finalists during the week of Feb. 18-22.

The Naismith Trophy winner will be announced April 7 at the 2008 NCAA Final Four in Tampa.

For more information, visit www.naismithawards.com.

2008 Women's Naismith Trophy Mid-Season Candidates
Name	Class	Position	College
Charel Allen	Senior	Guard	Notre Dame
Rachel Allison	Junior	Forward	Baylor
Jolene Anderson	Senior	Guard	Wisconsin
Jayne Appel	Sophomore	Forward/Center	Stanford
Chante Black	Junior	Center	Duke
DeWanna Bonner	Junior	Guard	Auburn
Tina Charles	Sophomore	Center	Connecticut
Allyssa DeHaan	Sophomore	Center	Michigan State
Sylvia Fowles	Senior	Center	LSU
Laura Harper	Senior	Forward/Center	Maryland
Amber Holt	Senior	Forward	Middle Tennessee State
Tasha Humphrey	Senior	Forward	Georgia
Crystal Kelly	Senior	Forward	Western Kentucky
Crystal Langhorne	Senior	Forward/Center	Maryland
Erlana Larkins	Senior	Forward	North Carolina
Jantel Lavender	Freshman	Center	Ohio State
Angel McCoughtry	Junior	Forward	Louisville
Jackie McFarland	Senior	Forward	Colorado
Maya Moore	Freshman	Forward	Connecticut
Courtney Paris	Junior	Center	Oklahoma
Candace Parker	Junior	Guard/Forward	Tennessee
Epiphanny Prince	Sophomore	Guard	Rutgers
Andrea Riley	Sophomore	Guard	Oklahoma State
Allie Quigley	Senior	Guard	DePaul
Takia Starks	Junior	Guard	Texas A&M
Kristi Toliver	Junior	Guard	Maryland
Ashley Walker	Junior	Forward/Center	California
Marcedes Walker	Senior	Center	Pittsburgh
Khadijah Whittington	Senior	Forward	North Carolina State
Candice Wiggins	Senior	Guard	Stanford
Shavonte Zellous	Junior	Guard	Pittsburgh

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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