Iowa State's Jamaal Tinsley is Naismith Award Finalist

ATLANTA - Iowa State point guard Jamaal Tinsley is one of 15 finalists for the Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year Award, Atlanta Tipoff Club Executive Director Jackie Bradford announced Tuesday. The award, which honors the top collegiate basketball player as selected by the Naismith Board of Selectors, will be presented in Atlanta April 7.

Tinsley, the floor leader of Iowa State's 21-3 and seventh-rated team, is averaging 14.2 points, 5.8 assists. 3.6 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. The senior from Brooklyn, N.Y., has led Iowa State to a 53-8 record the past two seasons, including a 32-5 mark and NCAA Tournament Elite Eight appearance and Big 12 Conference regular season and post season tournament titles last season. ISU currently sits atop of Big 12 with a 9-2 league mark.

The other Naismith finalists are: Shane Battier of Duke, Charlie Bell of Michigan State, Troy Bell of Boston College, Michael Bradley of Villanova, Jarron Collins of Stanford, Joseph Forte of North Carolina, Eddie Griffin of Seton Hall, Brendan Haywood of North Carolina, Casey Jacobson of Stanford, Troy Murphy of Notre Dame, Terence Morris of Maryland, Jason Richardson of Michigan State, Jason Williams of Duke and Michael Wright of Arizona.