Two Gators Named Naismith Preseason Candidates
Tuesday, October 16, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Senior center Udonis Haslem and junior guard Brett Nelson were among the 30 candidates for the 2001-2002 Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year Award. Florida is one of four schools that has multiple candidates for this prestigious award.
Haslem, 6-9, 246-pound center from Miami, Fla., led the Gators with 16.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game and was named Third Team All-American by the Associated Press, NABC District VI First Team and First Team All-SEC by both the coaches and AP last year. He currently ranks seventh on the Gator all-time scoring chart with 1,286 points in three seasons (13.0 ppg).
Nelson, a 6-4, 182-pound guard from St. Albans, W.Va., averaged 15.3 points, 4.3 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game in 2000-01. He was selected an Honorable Mention All-American by the Associated Press, NABC District VI First Team and consensus First Team All-SEC by both the Associated Press and coaches.
The Naismith Awards program, now in its 34th year, honors the outstanding college basketball player in the United States. The awards program was founded by the Atlanta Tipoff Club, an organization dedicated to recognizing the achievements of student-athletes in basketball.
The candidates were selected by a vote of the Board of Selectors comprised of leading basketball coaches, journalists and basketball analysts. Members of the board were asked to name top male and female players who are most likely to be in contention for the award. For more information on this award, visit www.naismithawards.com.
Florida senior guard Brandi McCain is one of the 30 female preseason candidates. Florida joins Connecticut, Duke and Stanford to have both men and women candidates.
Naismith Preseason Candidates for Player of the Year
| Lonny Baxter | Maryland |
| Troy Bell | Boston College |
| LaVell Blanchard | Michigan |
| Keith Bogans | Kentucky |
| Carlos Boozer | Duke |
| Caron Butler | Connecticut |
| Nick Collison | Kansas |
| Sam Clancy | USC |
| Juan Dixon | Maryland |
| Chris Duhon | Duke |
| Mike Dunleavy | Duke |
| Melvin Ely | Fresno State |
| Reggie Evans | Iowa |
| Drew Gooden | Kansas |
| Lynn Greer | Temple |
| Udonis Haslem | Florida |
| Casey Jacobson | Stanford |
| Jared Jeffries | Indiana |
| Jason Kapono | UCLA |
| Chris Marcus | Western Kentucky |
| Brett Nelson | Florida |
| Marvin O'Conner | St. Joseph's |
| Chris Owens | Texas |
| Tayshawn Prince | Kentucky |
| Luke Recker | Iowa |
| Darius Rice | Miami - FL |
| Kareem Rush | Missouri |
| David West | Xavier |
| Frank Williams | Illinois |
| Jason Williams | Duke |
