Nov. 8, 2011
ATLANTA -- Terrence Ross was included on the 2011-12 Naismith preseason watch list, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Tuesday. This year's list includes the top 50 men's college basketball players from 34 schools around the country. Ross averaged 8.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game as a freshman, but came on strong late in the season. He helped Washington to its second consecutive Pac-10 tournament title by averaging 15.3 ppg and 2.7 rpg while shooting 52.8% from the field. He earned All-Tournament honors and was also honorable mention on the Pac-10 All-Freshman team. 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 2012 college basketball season. The Naismith Trophy will be awarded at the 2012 NCAA Men's Final Four in New Orleans. Only three players from the Pac-12 cracked the list. UCLA's Joshua Smith and Reeves Nelson are the others. Two teams - UNC and Kentucky - boast four players each on the list, while three schools - Connecticut, Ohio State and Vanderbilt - each have three players. The list represents 14 different athletic conferences and features 28 upperclassmen and 22 underclassmen. In late February, the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors will compile a mid-season team of the top 30 players in the nation. Then in March, the Naismith Trophy voting academy will vote to narrow the list to the four finalists. |
