University of North Carolina Athletics
McCants Named To Naismith Watch List
December 22, 2008 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 22, 2008
ATLANTA, Ga. --- North Carolina senior forward/guard Rashanda McCants was featured on the Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T early season watch list, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Dec. 19. 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 2008-09 college basketball season. The watch list does not include incoming freshmen, although those student-athletes will be considered in the first vote in February. The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T will be awarded at the 2009 NCAA Women's Final Four in St. Louis.
"It's a tremendous thrill for us to watch high school winners grow and achieve even greater success on the college level," said Gary Stokan, Atlanta Tipoff Club president. "That said, it will take an amazing season for someone to emerge as the Naismith Trophy winner because the talent pool is incredibly deep. We look forward to watching this play out over the next four months."
For the sixth consecutive season, presenting sponsor AT&T will once again 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.
In February, the Naismith Trophy voting academy, comprised of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country, will narrow its preseason 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.
McCants is averaging 12.0 points and 5.8 rebounds so far in 2008-09. Other ACC candidates include Duke's Chante Black and Abby Waner, Maryland's Marissa Coleman and Kristi Toliver, and Virginia's Monica Wright.
