Bone on Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year List

COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Texas A&M junior Kelsey Bone continued to be included on the Naismith College Player of the Year list by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, which based its criteria on player performances during this year's college basketball season. In late March, the Naismith Trophy voting academy will narrow down the pack to four finalists. The Naismith Women's College Player of the Year presented by AT&T will be awarded to one female athlete on April 8, 2013, in New Orleans, La.

For the ninth consecutive year, fans will have the opportunity to text their votes for the player of their choice and help determine the 2013 Naismith Trophy winner. Voting will open to fans on Monday, March 25. Naismith Trophy presenting sponsor AT&T is making the voting open to other wireless carriers, enabling even more fans to participate.

Bone, Kentucky's A'dia Mathies and Tennessee's Meighan Simmons are the only representatives from the SEC.

The Houston native  leads the Southeastern Conference in field goal percentage (57.7) and rebounds per game (9.9) and ranks third in points per game (17.6), leading to three SEC Player of the Week honors this season. Bone is second in the SEC in double-doubles this season with 13, bringing her career total to 27 double-doubles.

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, founded during the 1956-57 season, has presented the Naismith Trophy every year since UCLA's Lew Alcindor first won the award in 1969. Old Dominion's Anne Donovan won the inaugural Women's Naismith Trophy in 1983.

The Naismith Award has become the most prestigious award in all of college basketball, recognizing the Men's and Women's College Basketball Player of the Year, Men's and Women's College Basketball Coach of the Year, as well as awards for outstanding achievement in high school basketball, officiating, and contribution to the game. For more information, visit www.naismithawards.com.

Bone and the Aggies return to action tomorrow at Tennessee on CSS at 6:00 pm (CT).

Top 30 Candidates for 2013 Women's Naismith Women's Player of the Year Award