Texas Tech University Athletics
Pierson Named Preseason Naismith Candidate
October 16, 2001 | Women's Basketball
Oct. 16, 2001
LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech junior forward/center Plenette Pierson was selected as one of the preseason candidates for the 2001-02 Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year Award. Jackie Bradford, Executive Director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club, announced the candidates today.
Pierson, a native of Kingwood, Texas, is the Lady Raiders' top returning player from last season. The 2001 second-team All-Big 12 selection averaged 14.7 points and 7.4 rebounds in leading Tech to its third-straight NCAA Sweet 16 appearance.
The Naismith Awards program, now in its 34th year, honors the outstanding college basketball players in the United States. The awards program was founded by the Atlanta Tipoff Club, an organization dedicated to recognizing the achievements of student-athletes in basketball.
The candidates were selected by a vote of the Board of Selectors comprised of leading basketball coaches, journalists and basketball analysts. Members of the board were asked to name top male and female players who are most likely to be in contention for the award.
"Both the men's and women's field's, from top to bottom, are extremely talented, " said Bradford. "The race for the Naismith Award will once again be very competitive and exciting."
Last year's Naismith Award recipients were Shane Battier from Duke University and Ruth Riley from the University of Notre Dame. The first recipient of the male Naismith Award was Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) of UCLA in 1969. Other college player of the year recipients include many NBA standouts such as Bill Walton, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, and Christian Laettner. The women's Naismith Award, first presented in 1983 to Anne Donovan of Old Dominion, includes recipients such as three-time winner Cheryl Miller of USC, two-time honorees Clarissa Davis of Texas, Chamique Holdsclaw of Tennessee and Dawn Staley of Virginia.
TOP THIRTY
FEMALE
Chantelle Anderson, Vanderbilt
Alana Beard, Duke
Lucienne Berthieu, Old Dominion
Sue Bird, Connecticut
Swin Cash, Connecticut
LaNeisha Caufield, Oklahoma
Danielle Crockrom, Baylor
Stacey Dales, Oklahoma
Chrissy Floyd, Clemson
Catrina Frierson, Louisiana Tech
Deanna Jackson, UAB
Gwen Jackson, Tennessee
Sheila Lambert, Baylor
Kara Lawson, Tennessee
Takeisha Lewis, Louisiana Tech
Brandi McCain, Florida
Tawana McDonald, Georgia
Plenette Pierson, Texas Tech
Nicole Powell, Stanford
Alicia Ratay, Notre Dame
Michelle Snow, Tennessee
Diana Taurasi, Connecticut
Nikki Teasley, North Carolina
LaToya Thomas, Mississippi State
Ayana Walker, Louisiana Tech
Angie Welle, Iowa State
Shaquala Williams, Oregon
Tamika Williams, Connecticut
DeTrina White, LSU
Shereka Wright, Purdue
