Oct. 23, 2002
South Carolina’s senior Jocelyn Penn was named as one of 30 preseason nominees for the 2002-03 Naismith College Women’s Basketball Player of the Year award. The entire list of all 30 candidates for the award were released Monday by Jackie Bradford, president of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. She is one of 10 SEC players to be nominated for the award.
Now in its 35th year, the Naismith Awards program honors the outstanding college basketball players in the United States. The awards program was founded by the Atlanta Tipoff Club, an organization dedicated to recognizing the achievements of student-athletes in basketball.
The candidates were selected by a vote of the Board of Selectors comprised of leading basketball coaches, journalists and basketball analysts.
The first team All-SEC forward enters her senior year with 1,223 points scored (16th place all-time) and 561 rebounds in her career. She is one of 16 Gamecock women to ever score 1,000+ points and grab 500+ boards. The native of Conyers, Georgia is also fifth on the USC all-time steals list with 247 thefts and needs only 51 more to take over first place. Named as the 2002 South Carolina Amateur Athlete of the Year, Penn has never been held scoreless or without a rebound in her 87-game career.
NAISMITH CANDIDATES Chantelle Anderson, Vanderbilt Jacqueline Batteast, Notre Dame Alana Beard, Duke Kara Braxton, Georgia Coretta Brown, North Carolina Shameka Christon, Arkansas Crissy Floyd, Clemson Catrina Frierson, Louisiana Tech Vanessa Hayden, Florida Caton Hill, Oklahoma Ebony Hoffman, Southern Cal Nicole Ohlde, Kansas State Gwen Jackson, Tennessee Temeka Johnson, LSU Kara Lawson, Tennessee Kelly Mazzante, Penn State Jocelyn Penn, South Carolina Nicole Powell, Stanford Alicia Ratay, Notre Dame Aiysha Smith, LSU Stacy Stephens, Texas Brianne Stepherson, Boston College Diana Taurasi, Connecticut Brandi Teamer, Virginia LaToya Thomas, Mississippi State Iciss Tillis, Duke Kendra Walker, Kansas State Lindsay Whalen, Minnesota Lindsey Wilson, Iowa state Shereka Wright, Purdue
