Lady Bulldog Tan White Recipient Of Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award
"It is just an honor to be recognized as one of the top senior guards in thecountry," said senior guard Tan White. "It has taken a lot of hard workover the past four years at Mississippi State both on and off the court.I'm thankful to receive this award and am in great company with the pastrecipients."
A native of Tupelo, Miss., White led the nation in scoring this season,averaging 23.5 points per game while leading the Lady Bulldogs (17-12) to aschool record 12 straight wins. White was a unanimous selection to theall-SEC first team, leading the conference in scoring and ranking second insteals. She became the SEC's All-Time Career Steals leader with 372 in hercareer. As a 5'7" guard White still managed to pull down 7.7 rebounds pergame, and amazingly became the career leader in blocked shots forMississippi State (118) with a block in the first half against Mississippion Feb. 17.
In addition to her all-SEC honors, White is a finalist for a number ofprestigious national awards, including The State Farm Wade Trophy, Naismithand Wooden Awards, and has been named to the Kodak/WBCA Region 3 All-Americateam. She has also been selected to play in the WBCA All-Star Challenge inIndianapolis, Ind. during the NCAA Final Four.
"We are proud to honor Ms. White with the 2005 Frances Pomeroy NaismithAward," stated John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith MemorialBasketball Hall of Fame. "The combination of her success on the court andher achievements in the classroom as a student-athlete make Tan a deservingrecipient who exemplifies the qualities this award is designed tocelebrate."
The Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award is named in honor of James Naismith'sdaughter-in-law. The recipient is selected by a panel of representativesfrom the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. To earn the award, therecipient must demonstrate leadership, character, loyalty, all-aroundbasketball ability and excellence in the classroom. Hall of Famer AnnMeyers will present White with the award at the WBCA Awards Luncheonpresented by State Farm and Jostens during the Women's NCAA Final Four inIndianapolis.
Previous Winners of the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award1984 Kim Mulkey, Louisiana Tech1985 Maria Stack, Gonzaga1986 Kamie Ethridge, Texas1987 Rhonda Windham, Southern California1988 Suzie McConnell, Penn State1989 Paulette Backstrom, Bowling Green1990 Julie Dabrowski, New Hampshire College1991 Shanya Evans, Providence College1992 Rosemary Kisorek, West Virginia1993 Dena Evans, Virginia1994 Nicole Levesque, Wake Forest1995 Amy Dodrill, Johns Hopkins1996 Jennifer Rizzotti, University of Connecticut1997 Jennifer Howard, North Carolina State1998 Angie Arnold, Johns Hopkins1999 Becky Hammon, Colorado State2000 Helen Darling, Penn State2001 Niele Ivey, Notre Dame2002 Shelia Lambert, Baylor2003 Kara Lawson, Tennessee2004 Erika Valek, Purdue