Fiftieth Celebration of the Citizen Naismith Trophy Season Kicks Off with 50 Candidates Vying for 2018 Top Player of the Year Honor 

ATLANTA (November 9, 2017) – The Citizen Naismith Trophy kicks off a special season, which will culminate with the 50th presentation of the award April 1, 2018, and today the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced 50 players to watch for the coveted honor. A list of the midseason 30 team will be released on Feb. 14, 2018.

“We are proud to recognize our former winners during this special season, and reflect on the heritage and tradition of the past 50 years,” said Eric Oberman, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. “There are tremendously talented candidates vying to win the 50th Citizen Naismith Trophy and that process starts today.”

NAMECLASSPOSITIONSCHOOLCONFERENCE
Jaylen AdamsSr.GSt. BonaventureAtlantic 10
Deng AdelJr.FLouisvilleACC
Rawle AlkinsSo.GArizonaPac-12
Grayson AllenSr.GDukeACC
KeVaughn AllenJr.GFloridaSEC
Deandre AytonFr.FArizonaPac-12
Marvin Bagley IIIFr.FDukeACC
Mohamed BambaFr.FTexasBig 12
Joel Berry IISr.GNorth CarolinaACC
Trevon BluiettSr.GXavierBIG East
Bennie BoatwrightJr.FUSCPac-12
Miles BridgesSo.G/FMichigan StateBig Ten
Bruce BrownSo.GMiamiACC
Jalen BrunsonJr.GVillanovaBIG EAST
Jeffrey CarrollSr.GOklahoma StateBig 12
Jevon CarterSr.GWest VirginiaBig 12
Wendell Carter Jr.Fr.FDukeACC
Bonzie ColsonSr.FNotre DameACC
Mike DaumJr.FSouth Dakota StateSummit League
Tyler DavisJr.CTexas A&MSEC
Angel DelgadoSr.CSeton HallBIG EAST
Hamidou DialloFr.GKentuckySEC
Trevon DuvalFr.GDukeACC
Vince EdwardsSr.FPurdueBig Ten
Matt FarrellSr.GNotre DameACC
Marcus FosterSr.GCreightonBIG EAST
Devonte' GrahamSr.GKansasBig 12
Ethan HappJr.FWisconsinBig Ten
Aaron HolidayJr.GUCLAPac-12
Chandler HutchisonSr.GBoise StateMountain West
Justin JacksonSo.FMarylandBig Ten
Kevin KnoxFr.FKentuckySEC
Jock LandaleSr.CSt. Mary'sWCC
Kelan MartinSr.FButlerBIG EAST
Nate MasonSr.GMinnesotaBig Ten
Yante MatenSr.FGeorgiaSEC
Bryant McIntoshSr.GNorthwesternBig Ten
Jordan McLaughlinSr.GUSCPac-12
Chimezie MetuJr.FUSCPac-12
Shake MiltonJr.GSMUAmerican Athletic
Malik NewmanSo.GKansasBig 12
Michael Porter Jr.Fr.FMissouriSEC
Collin SextonFr.GAlabamaSEC
Landry ShametSo.GWichita StateAmerican Athletic
Reid TravisSr.FStanfordPac-12
Allonzo TrierJr.GArizonaPac-12
Moritz WagnerJr.FMichiganBig Ten
Nick WardSo.FMichigan StateBig Ten
Jonathan WilliamsSr.FGonzagaWCC
Robert WilliamsSo.FTexas A&MSEC

Overall, nine players on the Watch List represent the ACC, while the Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC each placed eight candidates. Duke, which has won more Citizen Naismith Trophies (7) than any other school, leads the Watch List with four players, followed by Arizona and USC with three players apiece.  Players who do not make the watch list are still eligible to be selected for the midseason 30 team.

ABOUT THE ATLANTA TIPOFF CLUB

Celebrating 50 Years of the Citizen Naismith Trophy

Founded during the 1956-57 season, the Atlanta Tipoff Club 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 administers the Naismith Awards, which have become the most prestigious national honors in all of college basketball. Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, inventor of the game of basketball, the Naismith Trophy recognizes the top Men’s and Women’s College Basketball Players of the Year. Other Naismith Awards are presented to the Men’s and Women’s College Basketball Coaches of the Year, Boys’ and Girls’ High School Basketball Players and Coaches of the Year, Basketball Officials and Outstanding Contributors to the game. Celebrating its 50th year by honoring past winners, the Citizen Naismith Trophy was first presented to UCLA’s Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) in 1969. Old Dominion’s Anne Donovan won the inaugural Women’s Citizen Naismith Trophy in 1983.

ABOUT CITIZEN

Citizen, a pioneer in watchmaking and innovative technology since 1918, promotes excellence and creativity with a deep-rooted respect for craftsmanship. Citizen advocates “Better Starts Now,” searching for and accomplishing goals that are cause driven. In this respect, Citizen aligns with organizations and personalities that reflect the values of the brand including the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative, Naismith Awards, National Merit Scholarship, and Good360.

For over 40 years, Citizen’s Eco-Drive technology has served as the prime example of how the brand is dedicated to making the world and its environment a better place. A simple yet revolutionary concept, Eco-Drive harnesses the power of light from any natural or artificial light source and converts it into energy, eliminating the need for any battery replacement.

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Media Contact:

Traci Messier
Jackson Spalding for the Atlanta Tipoff Club
[email protected]
404-214-3596