Cotton Named a Naismith Trophy Finalist

This is a press release that was sent out by Providence College earlier today. Enjoy…

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – It was announced today (February 13) Providence senior guard Bryce Cotton (Tucson, Ariz.) has been named one of 30 candidates on the Midseason Naismith Trophy list. The Naismith Trophy is given annually by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to the top male and female college basketball players in the country.

Cotton, one of the top guards in the country, leads the BIG EAST in assists (5.8 apg) and ranks second in scoring (21.2 ppg). He also leads the nation in minutes played, averaging 39.5 minutes per game. Cotton has scored 20 or more points in 17 of the team’s 25 games and has scored 31 or more points in two of the last three games.

Cotton is on pace to become just the fifth player from a major conference to average more than 20 points per game and more than five assists per contest. The last player to accomplish that was Nolan Smith of Duke in 2010-11 (20.6 ppg, 5.1 apg).

Cotton, a Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team Selection, led the BIG EAST in scoring last season, averaging 19.7 ppg and earning All-BIG EAST First Team honors. For his career, he has registered 1,742 points in 20 game(14.5 ppg).

The most prestigious trophy in college and high school basketball, the Naismith was first awarded to the men’s college basketball player of the year in 1969 (Lew Alcindor, UCLA). In 1983, the Naismith Awards also began recognizing the women’s college basketball player of the year (Anne Donovan, Old Dominion). The Awards further expanded in 1987 to honor the men’s and women’s college coaches of the year, the boy and girl high school players of the year, and, in 1988, the men’s and women’s college officials of the year.

In November of each year, the board of selectors, comprised of coaches, administrators and media from across the country, chooses the preseason top 50 “watch list”. In February, the Naismith voting academy narrows the list to the top 30 based on athletic performance. In March, the voting academy selects the four finalists who will go to the final ballot. The winner is selected by a board of selectors vote in conjunction with fan voting.

As the creator of the Naismith Trophy, the Atlanta Tipoff Club was founded during the 1956-57 basketball season and has since been armed with the mission of promoting the continued support for the game of basketball and recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of those who make the game so exciting.

2013-14 Men’s Naismith Trophy Midseason 30
Kyle Anderson Sophomore Guard-Forward UCLA Pac-12
Keith Appling Senior Guard Michigan State Big Ten
Cameron Bairstow Senior Forward New Mexico Mountain West
James Bell Senior Guard Villanova Big East
Bryce Cotton Senior Guard Providence Big East
Cleanthony Early Senior Forward Wichita State Missouri Valley
Melvin Ejim Senior Forward Iowa State Big 12
Joel Embiid Freshman Center Kansas Big 12
Tyler Ennis Freshman Guard Syracuse ACC
C.J. Fair Senior Forward Syracuse ACC
Aaron Gordon Freshman Forward Arizona Pac-12
Gary Harris Sophomore Guard Michigan State Big Ten
Joe Jackson Senior Guard Memphis American Athletic
Nick Johnson Junior Guard Arizona Pac-12
DeAndre Kane Senior Guard Iowa State Big 12
Sean Kilpatrick Senior Guard Cincinnati American Athletic
Roy Devyn Marble Senior Guard Iowa Big Ten
Doug McDermott Senior Forward Creighton Big East
Shabazz Napier Senior Guard Connecticut American Athletic
Jabari Parker Freshman Forward Duke ACC
Lamar Patterson Senior Forward Pittsburgh ACC
Casey Prather Senior Forward Florida SEC
Julius Randle Freshman Forward Kentucky SEC
Marcus Smart Sophomore Guard Oklahoma State Big 12
Russ Smith Senior Guard Louisville American Athletic
Nik Stauskas Sophomore Guard Michigan Big Ten
Xavier Thames Senior Guard San Diego State Mountain West
Fred VanVleet Sophomore Guard Wichita State Missouri Valley
Andrew Wiggins Freshman Guard Kansas Big 12
Chaz Williams Senior Guard Massachusetts Atlantic 10

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