Wilkinson named to Naismith watch list

Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Dec 28, 2008

LOGAN -- Utah State's Gary Wilkinson continues to receive national attention this year, as he was recently named to the early season watch list for the 2008-09 Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced.

Last week, Wilkinson was named one of 30 candidates for the 2008- 09 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, which is presented annually to the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete of the Year.

The Naismith Trophy watch list, which consists of 50 players, was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selector's, which based its preseason criteria on player performances from last season and expectations for the 2008-09 season. The list does not include incoming freshmen, although those student-athletes will be considered in the first vote in February, 2009.

The Naismith Trophy is the most prestigious national award presented annually to college basketball's player of the year.

"The talent level across all conferences continues to impress, and that will create an even greater challenge for our voting academy when it comes time to select the winner in April," said Gary Stokan, Atlanta Tipoff Club president. "And we look forward to this special season, our 40th anniversary of the most prestigious trophy in all of college basketball."

Wilkinson, a 6-foot-9 senior forward from South Jordan, is the only player from the Western Athletic Conference selected for this award and one of just two players from the state of Utah, joining BYU's Lee Cummard.

Entering the 2008-09 season, Wilkinson was voted as the WAC's preseason Player of the Year by the media after earning second-team all-WAC honors as a junior.

As a senior, Wilkinson is averaging 17.3 points and 7.8 rebounds, and he is shooting 64.3 percent from the field and 81.0 percent from the free-throw line. He currently ranks third in the WAC in scoring and field goal shooting, and is fourth in free throw shooting and rebounding.

In February, the Naismith Trophy voting academy, comprised of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country, will narrow its early season list to the Top 30 players in the nation. Those players, and others who distinguish themselves throughout the season, will be eligible for the final ballot in March.