Frazier Named to Naismith Trophy Men's 50 Watch List
Wednesday, December 3, 2014 | Men's Basketball
Junior guard Michael Frazier II has been named to the Naismith Trophy Men's 50 Watch List, as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Wednesday.
Through the first six games of the season, Frazier leads the Gators and ranks ninth in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in points per game (15.2) and is one of the top 3-point shooters in the conference, averaging 2.3 treys per game.
The list will be cut down to 30 student-athletes on Thursday, Feb. 12, and then to 10 semifinalists on Friday, March 6. The four finalists will be announced Friday, March 20, followed by the award ceremony on Sunday, April 5.
Frazier is one of five SEC players on the list. Since the award's inception in 1969, no Florida men's basketball player has received the Naismith Trophy.
Founded during the 1956-57 season, the Atlanta Tipoff Club, an Atlanta Sports Council property, is committed to promoting the game of basketball and recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of those who make the game so exciting.
The Atlanta Tipoff Club administers the Naismith Awards, which have become the most prestigious national honors in all of college basketball. Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, inventor of the game of basketball, the Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T recognizes the top Men's and Women's College Basketball Players of the Year.
Other Naismith Awards are presented to the Men's and Women's College Basketball Coaches of the Year, Boy's and Girl's high school basketball players and coaches of the year, high school scholar-athletes, basketball officials, student sections and overall contributors to the game.
The Naismith Trophy was first presented to UCLA's Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) in 1969. Old Dominion's Anne Donovan won the inaugural Women's Naismith Trophy in 1983.
