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#NaismithWatch: 2015-16 Academic Year

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The Naismith Awards were founded by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to recognize accomplished athletes, coaches, officials and contributors to high school and college basketball. Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, the creator of the game of basketball, the first Naismith trophy was awarded in 1969 to UCLA’s Lew Alcindor, later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The Women’s Player of the Year Award was first given to Anne Donovan of Old Dominion University in 1983. Each year the club’s board publishes the “Naismith Watch” list that is made up of the top 50 players to watch in men’s and women’s college basketball. The organization also releases a list of 30 mid-season Naismith candidates. At the end of the season the Naismith Trophy is awarded to the player of the year in men’s and women’s college basketball. A national voting academy of leading basketball coaches, administrators and journalists votes based on player performance throughout the season. In 1987, to honor the nation’s best boy’s and girl’s high school basketball players, the Naismith Trophy Girl’s High School Player of the Year was established.

Our PeachStateBasketball.com staff is represented on the following committees:

1) Men’s / Women’s College Player of the Year Voting Academy: Brandon Clay
2) National Coordinator of High School Voting (Boys / Girls): Brandon Clay
3) Boy’s HS Player of the Year and All-American Teams Board of Selectors: Jonathan Hemingway and Keil Moore
4) Girl’s HS Player of the Year and All-American Teams Board of Selectors: Rebecca Dyer (Gray), Chris Hansen, Jonathan Hemingway, Keil Moore and Stephen Peck

The Naismith Awards are presented to the nation's premier players and chosen by the nation's top analysts / coaches / journalists. Graphic by Naismith Awards

The Naismith Awards are presented to the nation’s premier players and chosen by the nation’s top analysts / coaches / journalists.
Graphic by Naismith Awards

You can find our thoughts on who is in the discussion for these awards all season here:

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