MSU's Roberts And White Named Finalists For 2005 Senior CLASS Award
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State's Lawrence Roberts and Tan White have been named as finalists for the 2005 Bayer Advantage Senior CLASS Award, as announced this week by the award's organizing committee headquartered in Kansas City, Mo.
With 10 male and 10 female finalists selected, the award is presented annually to the outstanding senior basketball player at the NCAA Division I level. Mississippi State joins Notre Dame as the only two schools with both a male and female finalist this year. Roberts ranks as the lone SEC representative on the men's side, while White is joined by fellow conference standouts Shyra Ely of Tennessee and LSU's Temeka Johnson as finalists for the women's award.
The Senior CLASS Award - an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School - was launched during the 2001-02 college basketball season. It is designed to honor the attributes of seniors who remain committed to their university and elect to pursue the many rewards that a senior season can bring. Legendary sportscaster Dick Enberg initiated the idea of the award and now serves as honorary chairman.
The reigning SEC Player of the Year, Roberts is currently leading the Southeastern Conference in rebounding (11.1 rpg) and ranks fourth in scoring (17.4 ppg), while also pacing the league with 17 double-doubles on the year. State's All-American also tops all active NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 55 career double-doubles, in addition to leading all active players with 1,122 career rebounds. The 6-9, 240-pound forward from Houston, Texas, was earlier this year tabbed as a midseason All-America candidate for both the John R. Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy.
Also selected as a midseason candidate for Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy honors on the women's side this season, White currently ranks as the nation's leading scorer at 23.0 points per game. The 5-7 guard from Tupelo was recently named to the Coaches' All-SEC First Team and leads the Lady Bulldogs into this week's SEC Women's Basketball Tournament to be played in Greenville, S.C. Also tabbed as a State Farm Wade Trophy candidate this year, White has become the SEC's new all-time steals leader with 362 career swipes heading into postseason tournament play.
The winners of this year's awards will be determined by a points system involving three voting groups: the national media committee; Division I head basketball coaches; and national online fan balloting via the official website, www.seniorclassaward.com.
This year's winners will be announced on national television during the respective 2005 Final Four tournaments in St. Louis and Indianapolis. At the same time, the Bayer Advantage Senior CLASS Award will also announce its First and Second All-Senior, All-American teams, based on ballot results.
Saint Joseph's Jameer Nelson and Alana Beard of Duke were honored as last year's respective Senior CLASS Award winners. Former MSU All-American and current WNBA standout LaToya Thomas won the award in 2003.