Jan. 29, 2008
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Senior All-America guard Charel Allen (Monessen, Pa./Monessen) is one of 31 players who have been named to the 2008 Naismith Trophy midseason candidates list, it was announced Tuesday by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. Allen also is one of eight BIG EAST Conference players who made the midseason watch list for this year’s Naismith Trophy, which is presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate women’s basketball player — the Atlanta Tipoff Club Board of Selectors voted on this year’s midseason candidate list.
Allen currently leads the team and ranks 14th in the BIG EAST in scoring (14.3 ppg.) and 10th in free throw percentage (.817). During league play, she is tied for 12th in the BIG EAST in scoring (15.3 ppg.) and is 10th in free throw percentage (.806). Allen also has scored in double figures 17 times in 20 games this season, including 15 of her last 16 contests, and scored a season-high 26 points in Notre Dame’s BIG EAST opener at Louisville on Jan. 8 (an 82-74 Irish win). She was named to the Preseason WNIT All-Tournament Team back in November and earned a place on the Jan. 7 BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.
The Naismith Trophy is one of three national player-of-the-year awards that Allen remains in contention for — back in August, she was tabbed as a preseason candidate for the WBCA State Farm Wade Trophy, while in October, she earned a spot on the preseason John. R. Wooden Women’s Award watch list.
The BIG EAST led all conferences with its eight players on this year’s Naismith Trophy midseason candidate list. Other league players to be chosen include: Tina Charles and Maya Moore (Connecticut); Marcedes Walker and Shavonte Zellous (Pittsburgh); Angel McCoughtry (Louisville); Epiphanny Prince (Rutgers) and Allie Quigley (DePaul). No other conference in the country placed more than six players on the Naismith Trophy midseason candidate list — Duke’s Lindsey Harding took home last year’s award.
The Atlanta Tipoff Club Board of Selectors, comprised of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country, narrowed down its preseason list of 50 players to the top 31 midseason candidates in the nation. Those players now are eligible for the final ballot in March, with fan voting (via text messages) accounting for 25 percent of the selection process. This year’s Naismith Trophy winner will be announced April 7 at the NCAA Women’s Final Four in Tampa, Fla. Additional information on the Naismith Trophy selection process is available on-line at www.naismithawards.com.
Allen and the 20th-ranked Irish (15-5, 3-3) are back in action Wednesday when they play host to Providence in a 7 p.m. (ET) BIG EAST contest at the Joyce Center. Tickets for that matchup, and all remaining Notre Dame women’s basketball home games, may still be purchased by contacting the Notre Dame Athletics Ticket Office (574-631-7356), visiting the official Irish athletics web site (UND.com/tickets) or stopping by the Joyce Center Gate 10 ticket windows on game day.
— ND —