Griffin Earns Spot on Naismith Watch List

Lincoln - Nebraska senior Kelsey Griffin was one of 50 players named to the Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List announced on Wednesday, Nov. 18, by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.

Griffin, a 6-2 forward from Eagle River, Alaska, is a two-time first-team All-Big 12 selection and a 2010 All-America candidate. Earlier this year, Griffin was named to the preseason All-Big 12 squad for the third time, while also being listed as a candidate for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, honoring the achievements of student-athletes for their contributions on the court, in the classroom and in the community.

Griffin, who is the No. 1 active career rebounder in the Big 12 Conference and No. 3 active career scorer, led Nebraska to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2007 and 2008, before missing the entire 2008-09 season with a foot injury.

She has returned to the court this season to help Nebraska to a 2-0 start by averaging a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds in just 20.5 minutes per game. Griffin, who has been projected as a high-round WNBA draft pick, was recently named one of the top five power forwards in the nation by ESPN.com. She is also expected to be a CoSIDA Academic All-America candidate this season.

Griffin is one of six players from the Big 12 Conference to earn a spot on the Preseason Naismith Trophy Watch List, joining Baylor freshman Brittney Griner, Kansas senior Danielle McCray, Oklahoma State senior Andrea Riley, Oklahoma junior Danielle Robinson and Kansas State senior Ashley Sweat.

The Naismith Trophy Watch List is compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, which base its criteria on player performances from the previous year and expectations for the 2009-10 season. The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T will be awarded at the 2010 NCAA Women's Final Four in San Antonio, Texas.

Fans can participate in selecting the winner through text messaging, which accounts for 25 percent of the final results.

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. In March, the Naismith Trophy voting academy will narrow the list to four finalists.

Connecticut junior forward Maya Moore won the award in 2009 and will try to become the first player in history to win two Naismith awards in high school and two Naismith awards as a collegian. For more information on the Naismith Trophy, please visit www.naismithawards.com

Griffin and the Huskers will be back in action on Thursday, Nov. 19, when they play host to Idaho State. Tip-off at the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln is set for 7:05 p.m. Nebraska will also clash with Washington State on Sunday, Nov. 22, at 2:05 p.m. at the Devaney Center.

For tickets, please visit Huskers.com or call 1-800-8-BIGRED.

2009-10 Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List

Last name	First Name	School	Position	Class
Appel	Jayne	Stanford	Center	Senior
Barlow	Ashley	Notre Dame	Guard	Senior
Breland	Jessica	North Carolina	Forward	Senior
Charles	Tina	UCONN	Center	Senior
Clark	Alysha	Middle Tennessee	Forward	Senior
DeHaan	Allyssa	Michigan State	Center	Senior
Delle Donne	Elena	Delaware	Forward/Guard	Freshman
Diggins	Skylar	Notre Dame	Guard	Freshman
Evans	Dawn	James Madison	Guard	Junior
Fitz	Rachele	Marist	Forward	Senior
Grant	Tyra	Penn State	Guard	Senior
Gray-Lawson	Alexis	California	Guard	Senior
Griffin	Kelsey	Nebraska	Forward	Senior
Griner	Brittney	Baylor	Center	Freshman
Hardy	Lele	Clemson	Forward/Guard	Senior
Harris	Amber	Xavier	Forward	Junior
Hayes	Tiffany	UCONN	Guard	Sophomore
Hightower	Allison	LSU	Guard	Senior
Houts	Ashley	Georgia	Guard	Senior
Hughes	Jareica	UTEP	Guard	Senior
Jaeschke	Amy	Northwestern	Center	Junior
Johnson	Shenise	Miami	Forward	Sophomore
Lavender	Jantel	Ohio State	Center	Junior
Lucas	Italee	North Carolina	Guard	Junior
Marginean	Gabriela	Drexel	Forward	Senior
McCray	Danielle	Kansas	Forward/Guard	Senior
Monroe	Jacinta	Florida State	Forward	Senior
Montgomery	Alex	Georgia Tech	Forward/Guard	Junior
Moore	Maya	UCONN	Forward	Junior
Morris	Jen?	San Diego State	Guard	Senior
Naughton	Deirdre	DePaul	Guard	Senior
Pedersen	Kayla	Stanford	Forward	Junior
Phillips	Ta'Shia	Xavier	Center	Junior
Pohlen	Jeanette	Stanford	Guard	Junior
Prahalis	Samantha	Ohio State	Guard	Sophomore
Raven	Brittainey	Texas	Guard	Senior
Riley	Andrea	Oklahoma State	Guard	Senior
Robinson	Danielle	Oklahoma	Guard	Junior
Robinson	Angel	Marquette	Guard	Junior
Smith	Jenna	Illinois	Center	Senior
Stevens	Da'Shena	St. John's	Forward	Sophomore
Stricklen	Shekinna	Tennessee	Forward/Guard	Sophomore
Sverrisdottir	Helena	TCU	Guard	Junior
Sweat	Ashley	Kansas State	Forward	Senior
Swords	Carolyn	Boston College	Center	Junior
Thomas	Bianca	Ole Miss	Guard	Senior
Thomas	Jasmine	Duke	Guard	Junior
Vandersloot	Courtney	Gonzaga	Guard	Junior
Whipple	Kalee	Utah	Forward	Senior
Wright	Monica	Virginia	Guard	Senior