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Stanford's Ogwumike, Cal's Boyd make top 30 for the Naismith Award

Feb 13, 2014
Cal Athletics/Stanford Photo

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - A pair of Pac-12 women’s basketball players were named to the Naismith Trophy Midseason Top 30 list, including STANFORD’s Chiney Ogwumike and CALIFORNIA’s Brittany Boyd, the Atlanta Tipoff Club recently announced. Additionally, Ogwumike was named a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award.

The Naismith Trophy presented is awarded annually to the men’s and women’s college basketball players of the year. The voting academy bases its criteria on player performance throughout the season. The Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors narrowed the the 50 preseason watch list down to the top-30 midseason candidates. From there, four finalists will be selected to the final ballot in March. The Naismith Award winner will be announced on April 7, 2014.

A two-time All-American, senior Chiney Ogwumike (Cypress, Texas) is the only player in the country to rank in the top 10 in the country in scoring (27.2, third), rebounding (12.3, 8th) and field goal percentage (63.2, 2nd) while leading the Cardinal to a No. 6/5 national rankings and a 22-2 overall record and 11-1 Conference mark. She also has 18 double-doubles this season, which ranks sixth in the country, and has scored 30 points 11 times. 

This season, Ogwumike became the Pac-12’s all-time leading rebounder, currently standing at 1,415 career boards, and is in position to threaten the Conference’s all-time scoring mark, having tallied 2,423 career points, just 206 points shy of the record which is currently owned by former Cardinal and national player of the year Candice Wiggins (2,629).

The Senior CLASS Award will be announced at the 2014 NCAA Women's Final Four in Nashville, Tenn. Fans can vote for Ogwumike once per day through March 24 at www.seniorclassaward.com.

Junior Brittany Boyd (Berkeley, Calif.) has already been named a to midseason lists for the Dawn Staley Award, Nancy Lieberman Award and Wooden Award. She is just one of five players in the country to be named to all five lists. Boyd is averaging 15.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 3.3 steals per game for the No. 22/22 Golden Bears (16-7, 8-4). She ranks fifth in the country in steals per game.

For more information on the Naismith Award, visit www.naismithaward.com.