ATLANTA - Three players from top-ranked Duke and two from Atlantic Coast Conference rival Maryland were named Monday by the Atlanta Tipoff Club among 20 finalists for the Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year Award. <br>
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The No. 1 Connecticut women's team, with four finalists, and third-ranked Tennessee, with three, were well-represented on the list for the women's award. <br>
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Duke's Carlos Boozer, Mike Dunleavy and Jason Williams were on the men's list, along with the No. 3 Terps' Lonny Baxter and Juan Dixon. Second-ranked Kansas also had two finalists: Nick Collison and Drew Gooden. <br>
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For the women, the list of finalists included Connecticut's Sue Bird, Swin Cash, Diana Taurasi and Tamika Williams; Gwen Jackson, Kara Lawson and Michelle Snow of Tennessee; and No. 4 Oklahoma's LaNeisha Caufield and Stacey Dales. <br>
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The winners of the Naismith awards will be honored in Atlanta on April 5. Other finalists named by the Naismith Board of Selectors, which includes leading basketball coaches, journalists and administrators, were: <br>
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Troy Bell, Boston College; Caron Butler, Connecticut; Sam Clancy, Southern Cal; Dan Dickau, Gonzaga; Jason Gardner, Arizona; Casey Jacobsen, Stanford; Jared Jeffries, Indiana; Jason Kapono, UCLA; Steve Logan, Cincinnati; Tayshaun Prince, Kentucky; Kareem Rush, Missouri; Frank Williams, Illinois; David West, Xavier. <br>
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Chantelle Anderson, Vanderbilt; Alana Beard, Duke; Deana Jackson, UAB; Sheila Lambert, Baylor; Kelly Mazzante, Penn State; Brandi McCain, Florida; Nicole Powell, Stanford; LaToya Thomas, Mississippi State; Ayana Walker, La. Tech; Angie Welle, Iowa State; Shereka Wright, Purdue.
