McDonald among Naismith candidates

October 16, 2001 | Women's Basketball

Oct. 16, 2001

Atlanta, Ga. --- Georgia senior Tawana McDonald, a two-time All-SEC selection and Defensive All-American last season, is among the 30 leading candidates for 2001-02 Naismith National Player of the Year honors. Jackie Bradford, President of the Atlanta Tipoff Club, which presents the award annually, announced the candidates Tuesday.

McDonald has been a starter on Georgia teams which have averaged 28.7 win over the past three seasons, reaching the 1999 Final Four, winning the 2000 SEC Championship and capturing the 2001 SEC Tournament Title.

In the final game of her junior season, McDonald became the 21st Lady Bulldog to surpass the 1,000-point career scoring plateau. She enters her senior campaign with 1,004 points in a UGA uniform, just 34 points shy of Georgia's current No. 20 career scorer, Saudia Roundtree. Roundtree won the 1996 Naismith, becoming the first SEC player -- female or male -- to capture the honor since "Pistol" Pete Maravich.