The Atlanta Tip Off Club will select the Naismith College Basketball Player of the

Year during the Final Four in Detroit, Michigan.   Sophomore Kyle Singler and Gerald Henderson are on the list of finalist for the prestigious award.

The Blue Devils are one of six schools with two players on the list.

ATLANTA (Feb. 24, 2009) – No college program has ever won a Heisman Trophy and a Naismith
Trophy in the same academic year, but Blake Griffin is looking to put Oklahoma in uncharted territory.

The 6-10 sophomore hopes to follow fellow Sooner Sam Bradford in being named the top player in his respective sport, as Griffin headlines the 30 mid-season candidates for the 2009 Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today.

Among those joining Griffin are Stephen Curry (Davidson), 2008 winner Tyler Hansbrough (North Carolina), Luke Harangody (Notre Dame), Jodie Meeks (Kentucky) and Jeff Teague (Wake Forest) and Kyle Singler and Gerald Henderson (Duke).

Overall, the ACC has nine players on the list, followed by the Big East with eight. Six schools are represented by two players apiece: Connecticut, Duke, Louisville, North Carolina, Pittsburgh and Wake Forest.

The top 30 men’s list was voted on by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors, comprised ofleading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country. The board based its criteria on player performances this season.

The vote was tabulated and certified by the accounting firm of Habif, Arogeti & Wynne, LLP. HA&W is the largest independent accounting firm in Georgia and
one of the top 50 firms in the United States. The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T is the most prestigious national basketball award and is given annually to the men’s college basketball player ofthe year.  This year, the award will be presented at the NCAA Men’s Final Four in Detroit.

This season marks the 40th anniversary of the first Naismith Trophy, which was presented to UCLA’s Lew Alcindor, who is known today as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. At the time, the Atlanta Tipoff Club, founded during the 1956-57 basketball season, was looking to create a national identity for its brand and created the award to honor the best basketball player in the nation. Alcindor, along with UCLA
head coach John Wooden, flew to Atlanta in the spring of 1969 to receive the trophy. “Looking at the college basketball landscape, it’s understandable that so many of the top players nationwide are contenders for the Naismith Trophy,” said Gary Stokan, president, Atlanta Tipoff Club.

“The final month of the season will be telling, and that is what makes college basketball so exciting.” For the sixth consecutive season, presenting sponsor AT&T will once again set the standard in allowing fans to participate in determining this year’s winner. Through the power and ease of text
messaging, fan voting will account for an unprecedented 25 percent of the final results — more than any other national college basketball award. This year, beginning March 22, AT&T wireless customers — and sports fans on other wireless networks — will be able to text their votes for the player of their
choice.

“The Naismith Trophy is unique among college awards in that it gives the fans a real voice inselecting the top player in the country,” said Tim McGhee, executive director, AT&T Corporate Sponsorships. “AT&T is proud to sponsor the Naismith and to empower fans to make sure their
voices are heard”

CBS Sports’ “AT&T at the Half” features a weekly Naismith Trophy Watch, highlighting the men’s players in contention for the coveted award who have distinguished themselves throughout the season. On March 22, CBS will announce the four Naismith Trophy finalists during its first-round coverage of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. For more information, visit www.naismithawards.com.