Feb. 28, 2013
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky women’s basketball senior guard A’dia Mathies has been named to another midseason watch list as she is one of 30 finalists for the 2013 Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year selected by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors. The list is comprised of the nation’s top players based on criteria of performance during this year’s college basketball season. Mathies is one of three players from the Southeastern Conference on the list, including Tennessee junior guard Meighan Simmons and Texas A&M junior center Kelsey Bone.
In late March, the Naismith Trophy voting academy will narrow down the pack to four finalists. The Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year presented by AT&T will be awarded to one female athlete on April 8, 2013, in New Orleans, La.
Mathies has helped the Wildcats (23-4, 11-3 SEC) rank in the top 10 of the national rankings all season by leading the team in scoring (15.9 ppg), 3-point field goals made (55), 3-point percentage (.393) and field goals made (151). The Louisville, Ky., native is the SEC’s active career scoring leader with 1,863 points and is UK’s all-time leading scorer for a guard. She currently ranks second overall on UK’s career scoring list behind former All-American Valerie Still (2,763) and is the first player in UK history (men or women) to accumulate over 1,800 points, 500 rebounds, 300 assists and 250 steals in her career. She currently ranks third all-time at UK in career steals with 297 and needs just 12 more tie the school record of 309 set by Stacey Reed from 1991-95.
The 5-foot-9 guard has reached double figures in 25-of-27 games, including 18 in a row. She has six 20-point games this season, all in SEC play. In conference games only, Mathies leads the league in free throw percentage (.846), is second in scoring (18.2 ppg), third in 3-point percentage (.434), fourth in 3-point field goals made per game 92.4) and eighth in field goal percentage (.426).
Mathies, the preseason SEC Player of the Year, is also on the watch lists for the State Farm Wade Trophy, the John R. Wooden Award and the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award.
The Naismith Award has become the most prestigious award in all of college basketball, recognizing the Men’s and Women’s College Basketball Player of the Year, Men’s and Women’s College Basketball Coach of the Year, as well as awards for outstanding achievement in high school basketball, officiating, and contribution to the game.
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