Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year finalists announced

The Atlanta Tipoff Club announced the finalists for the Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year. The 2013 finalists for the top honor in women’s college basketball are Delaware senior Elena Delle Donne, Notre Dame senior Skylar Diggins, Baylor senior Brittney Griner and Stanford junior Chiney Ogwumike. Griner is the defending Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year, while Diggins, Delle Donne and Ogwumike all are previous Naismith High School Player of the Year Trophy honorees. The 2013 honor will be awarded to one of these four finalists on April 8, 2013, in New Orleans, La.

Should Griner win her second consecutive Naismith Women’s College Basketball Player of the Year she would become the sixth women’s player to achieve the honor in back-to-back seasons (the first since LSU’s Seimone Augustus in 2005-2006) and the seventh overall multiple-time winner of the award. If one of the other three finalists earns the Naismith Trophy, she will become the seventh honoree to win both a Naismith Girl’s High School Player of the Year Award and Naismith Women’s College Basketball Player of the Year Award. The most recent was Maya Moore (2009, 2011 College; 2006, 2007 High School).