Ball Selected as Naismith Trophy Finalist
March 19, 2017 | Men's Basketball
ATLANTA โ UCLA's Lonzo Ball has selected as one of four finalists for the Naismith Trophy, as announced on Sunday by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
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Ball joins Villanova's Josh Hart, Kansas' Frank Mason III and Purdue's Caleb Swanigan on the list of four finalists for this season's award, honoring the nation's top college basketball player.
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VOTE FOR LONZO: NaismithTrophy.com/VOTE
Ball, a 6-foot-6 guard from Chino Hills, Calif., leads the nation in assists per game (7.6) and total assists (257), having averaged 14.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Ball has already established the UCLA single-season and Pac-12 freshman season assists record (257). He ranks third on the Pac-12's single-season assist list, behind Ahlon Lewis and Jason Kidd.
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Ball is on pace to become the first Pac-12 player to average at least 14 points, seven assists and six rebounds in one season since California's Jason Kidd in 1993-94.
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One of six Bruins currently averaging in double-figure scoring, Ball has helped lead the Bruins to a 30-4 record and the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament's South Regional.
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Ball earned the 2016 Naismith High School Trophy and could become the fourth UCLA player to claim the college Naismith Trophy. UCLA's previous award winners have included Lew Alcindor (1969), Bill Walton (1972, 1973, 1974) and Marques Johnson (1977).
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Ball has already been named a first-team All-America selection by the USBWA in addition to securing the Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. He has become the first UCLA freshman to secure USBWA first-team recognition since Kevin Love accomplished that feat in 2007-08. In addition, Ball was also selected the Pac-12 Conference's Freshman of the Year and the USBWA's District IX Player of the Year.
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This season, fans have a say in choosing the award's winner. Between March 20-31, fans can visit www.naismithtrophy.com/vote to cast their ballot for one of these four Naismith Trophy finalists. Voting ends at 8:59 p.m. PT on March 31 and fans are limited to one vote per day. The fan vote will account for 5% of the total vote.
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The 49th presentation of the Naismith Trophy will be on Sunday, April 2, at the Naismith Awards Brunch delivered by UPS at the Final Four in Scottsdale, Ariz. The entire awards presentation will be broadcast live at www.facebook.com/Naismith and also simulcast on Sirius XM College Sports Nation, Channel 84.
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UCLA (30-4) returns to action against Cincinnati (30-5) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, March 19. Game time at the Golden 1 Center (Sacramento, Calif.) is slated for 6:40 p.m. (PT). UCLA's game will be nationally televised on TBS.
