Feb. 25, 2010
Senior guard Tyra Grant (Youngstown, Ohio) is one of 30 mid-season candidates for the 2010 Women's Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T, which was announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. Grant is one of four Big Ten players on the mid-season list, joining Ohio State's Jantel Lavender and Samantha Prahalis and Illinois' Jenna Smith. This is the second consecutive season that Grant has been a semifinalist for the Naismith Trophy.
Grant is second in the Big Ten and 16th nationally with a 19.2 scoring average this season, which is currently 10th on Penn State's single-season chart. Grant also ranks in the Top 15 in the conference in free throw percentage (11th/.796), steals (8th/1.73), three-pointers made (10th/1.5) and minutes played (7th/33.81). She also registered her first career double-double this season against Drexel with 25 points and 11 rebounds.
Grant, who has 13 games with 20 or more points this year, is on pace to become the fourth player in school history to reach 2,000 points, needing just 55 more tallies to accomplish the feat. She is currently fifth in school history with 1,945 points and her 16.6 career scoring average is fourth in program history. Grant also ranks in the Top 10 in the Lady Lion record books in career free throws made (4th/463), three-point field goals made (5th/170), field goals (9th/656) and minutes played (10th/3,675).
The list was voted on by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, comprised of leading basketball journalists from around the country. The board based its criteria on player performances this season. The Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T is the most prestigious national basketball award and is given annually to the women's college basketball player of the year. This year, the award will be presented at the NCAA Women's Final Four in San Antonio, Texas.
As a presenting sponsor since 2005, AT&T has set the standard in fan participation 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.
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. Fans will be eligible to cast their vote for the winner until 11:59 p.m. EDT on Saturday, April 3, 2010. AT&T is making the voting open to other wireless carriers, allowing even more fans to participate. Other wireless carriers must opt-in for their subscribers to participate. Standard messaging rates apply.
The Lady Lions travel to Indiana for the regular-season finale on Sunday at 4 p.m. The game can be seen live on the Big Ten Network with Tracy Warren and Theresa Grentz calling the action.
The Lady Lions hold several camps throughout the summer. There is a Lady Lion Basketball Camp available for girls of all ages, ranging from shooting camp to elite camp. The 2010 Lady Lion Basketball Camp schedule is as follows: Shooting Camp (June 13-15), Elite Camp (June 20-22), Skills Camp (June 20-23), Total Package Team Camp (June 24-26) and Games Galore Team Camp (August 6-8). For more information on Lady Lion Basketball Camps, please visit psusportscamps.com and click on Lady Lion Basketball Camp.
The Lady Lions are on Twitter. Follow head coach Coquese Washington (@psucoachquese), sports information contact Kris Petersen (@ladylionsid) and the Lady Lions and assistant coaches (@pennstatewbb) to get the inside scoop. The Lady Lions are also on Facebook. Search Lady Lion Basketball and become a fan.