Feb. 11, 2011

LEXINGTON, Ky. – UK freshman forward Terrence Jones was named to the Naismith Midseason top 30 list as announced by the Atlanta Tip-Off Club on Friday.

One of two freshmen on the watch list, Jones currently leads Kentucky and ranks fourth in the Southeastern Conference in scoring at 17.6 ppg. He leads the league in rebounding (9.0) and also ranks sixth in blocks (2.0).

The midseason top 30 list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors, which based its criteria on player performances during the 2010-11 college basketball season. The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T will be awarded at the 2011 NCAA Men’s Final Four in Indianapolis, Ind.

Since 2005, presenting sponsor AT&T has set the standard in allowing fans to participate in determining the trophy winner. Through the power and ease of text messaging, fan voting will account for an unprecedented 25% of the final results – more than any other national college basketball award.  In February, during CBS’ coverage of college basketball, the “AT&T at the Half” segment will feature a Naismith Trophy update highlighting the players in contention for the award. 

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