Atlanta Tipoff Club Announces 2012-2013 Naismith Girl’s High School Player of the Year Early Season Watch List ATLANTA (Dec. 13, 2012) – Atlanta high school seniors Diamond DeShields (Norcross High School, Norcross, Ga.) and Kaela Davis (Buford High School, Buford, Ga.) highlight this year’s Naismith Girl’s High School Player of the Year Early Season Watch List, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today. DeShields and Davis are both ranked number one at their respective positions and are both headed to Atlantic Coast Conference schools – DeShields to UNC and Davis to Georgia Tech. The list features the top girls high school basketball players from around the nation expected to make a run for the Naismith Trophy in 2013. The players were selected by basketball journalists from around the country, who form the Naismith Awards national voting academy. The selections were based on player performances last season and expectations for the 2012-2013 campaign. One female will ultimately be selected as winner, and she will be recognized at the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Naismith Awards Banquet on Tuesday, March 19, 2013 in Atlanta. “Girl’s Naismith High School Player of the Year winners have gone on to achieve monumental accolades, including national championships and WNBA titles,” said Eric Oberman, Executive Director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. “We’re extremely excited to watch this year’s nominees compete and look forward to crowning the best girls high school basketball player in 2013.” The Naismith Girl’s High School Player of the Year award was first given in 1987 to Lynn Lorenzen (Ventura High School, Ventura, Iowa), and has since been awarded to such notable players as Lisa Leslie (1990, Morningside High School, Inglewood, Calif.), Chamique Holdsclaw (1995, Christ the King, Middle Village, N.Y.), Candace Parker (2003, Naperville Central, Naperville, Ill.) and Maya Moore (2006 & 2007, Collins Hill High School, Suwanee, Ga.). Last year’s winner was Breanna Stewart (Cicero-North Syracuse High, Syracuse, N.Y.) who is now playing at Connecticut. For more information, visit www.naismithawards.com. 2013 Naismith Girl’s High School Player of the Year Watch List Last First College Hometown High School Position Class Name Name Choice Buford High Davis Kaela Buford, GA SG Senior Georgia Tech School Norcross, Norcross High North DeShields Diamond SG Senior GA School Carolina Owensboro, Owensboro Greenwell Rebecca SG Senior Duke KY Catholic Whitney Harper Linnae Chicago, IL PG Senior Kentucky Young Indianapolis, Hamilton Reimer Taya SF Senior Notre Dame IN Southeastern Springfield, Springfield Russell Mercedes PF Senior Tennessee OR High School ABOUT THE ATLANTA TIPOFF CLUB 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. # # # Contact: Nick Schubert MSL Atlanta for the Atlanta Tipoff Club (937) 369-9275 [email protected] .