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Dec. 18, 2007

Louisville, Ky. - Junior Angel McCoughtry was named to the 2007-08 Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T women's preseason candidate watch list, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today. Led by Connecticut and Rutgers, with three apiece, the Big East Conference is represented by 10 players.

McCoughtry is the nation's leading scorer with 24.9 points per game. The junior also leads the nation in steals, averaging 5.6 per game. McCoughtry was picked as the Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year by the league coaches in October. She is also represented on the Wade Trophy Watch List as well as the Wooden Award List.

The Naismith Trophy is the most prestigious national award presented annually to college basketball's players of the year. The watch list was compiled by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's Board of Selectors, which based its preseason criteria on player performances from last season and expectations for the 2007-08 campaign. There are 27 seniors, 18 juniors and five sophomores on the list, which does not include incoming freshmen, who will be considered in the first ballot in January, 2008.

In January, the Naismith Trophy voting academy, comprised of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country, will narrow its preseason list to the top 30 players in the nation. Those players will be eligible for the final ballot in March. In April, the Naismith Trophy winner will be recognized at the NCAA Women's Final Four in Tampa, Fla.

Last year's Naismith Trophy recipient was Duke University guard Lindsey Harding, who became the first Blue Devil woman to win the award. The last Big East player to claim the trophy was Connecticut's Diana Taurasi, who won it in back-to-back years (2003 and 2004). Other notable winners include Cheryl Miller (USC), Dawn Staley (Virginia) and Chamique Holdsclaw (Tennessee).