Mitchell Earns Spot on Naismith Trophy Midseason 30 List

Feb. 12, 2014

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina sophomore Tiffany Mitchell (Charlotte, N.C./Providence Day) added another national honor this week as she earned a spot on the Naismith Trophy: Women’s Midseason 30, the organization announced on Wednesday. The four finalists will be named on March 21 with the winner, who is decided by the board of selectors and fan voting, will be announced on April 7.

This is the third national award list for Mitchell this month. She is one of 16 guards on the Dawn Staley Award Watch List, given to the best guard in NCAA Division I who exemplifies the skills that Staley possessed – ball handling, scoring, ability to distribut and will to win. Earlier this week, she was added to the now 35-player State Farm Wade Trophy Watch List, awarded to the top female player in the country who not only excels athletically but also serves as a positive role model on and off the court.

Mitchell has been the Gamecocks’ top scorer throughout the season, currently ranking 10th in the SEC with 15.1 points per game. She is shooting 52.5 percent from the field, which would rank third in the league if she were not three made field goals short of the minimum. Mitchell’s shooting percentage includes 55.1 percent accuracy from 3-point range and comes with 77.3 percent shooting from the free throw line, which is 10th-best in the SEC.

A contributor beyond the scoring column, Mitchell also leads the team with 3.5 assists per game – 14th-best in the SEC – and is fourth in the league with a team-high 2.3 steals per outing. She is also fourth on the team in rebounding (5.2 rpg). Between her own points and those scored off her assists, Mitchell has had a hand in 30.6 percent of the Gamecocks’ 74.7 points per game this season. She has contributed to more than one-third of the team’s points in 10 games this season, including 52.2 percent of the Gamecocks’ 69 points against Winthrop on Dec. 20.

No. 5/6 South Carolina is back in action on Sun., Feb. 16, at No. 19/17 LSU and faces one more road game, at No. 18/18 Kentucky, before returning to Colonial Life Arena on Sun., Feb. 23, against Florida.

2014 Naismith Trophy: Women’s Midseason 30

Natalie Achonwa, Sr., F, Notre Dame
Rachel Banham, Jr., G, Minnesota
Tiffany Bias, Sr., G, Oklahoma State
Brittany Boyd, Jr., G, California
Hallie Christofferson, Sr., F, Iowa State
Jerica Coley, Sr., G, FIU
Diamond DeShields, Fr., G, North Carolina
Stefanie Dolson, Sr., C, Connecticut
Aaryn Ellenberg, Sr., G, Oklahoma
Christina Foggie, Sr., G, Vanderbilt
Markeisha Gatling, Sr., C, NC State
Bria Hartley, Sr., G, Connecticut
Jordan Hooper, Sr., F, Nebraska
Natasha Howard, Sr., F, Florida State
Tricia Liston, Sr., G, Duke
Jewell Loyd, So., G, Notre Dame
Maggie Lucas, Sr., G, Penn State
Tyuanna Marshall, Sr., G, Georgia Tech
Kayla McBride, So., G, Notre Dame
Tiffany Mitchell, So., G, South Carolina
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Jr., F, Connecticut
Chiney Ogwumike, Sr., F, Stanford
Theresa Plaisance, Sr., F, LSU
Ebony Rowe, Sr., F, Middle Tennessee
Shone Schimmel, Sr., G, Louisville
Meighan Simmons, Sr., G, Tennessee
Odyssey Sims, Sr., G, Baylor
Breanna Stewart, So., F, Connecticut
Alyssa Thomas, Sr., F, Maryland
Elizabeth Williams, Jr., C/F, Duke