According to utsports.com, former Liberty County High School standout and current Tennessee star Jordan McRae was placed on the 50-man watch list for the 2013-14 Naismith Trophy. McRae made the list along with Volunteer teammate Jarnell Stokes. The list was unveiled Thursday by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
The website reported that the Naismith Trophy is awarded annually to the women’s and men’s college basketball players of the year. Each year, the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s board of selectors — comprised of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country — vote on player performance to ultimately select the winners. Fans can contribute 25 percent of the final vote through text messaging. The watch list is at www.NaismithAwards.com.
McRae, a senior wing from Midway, recently was placed on the top-50 watch list for the Wooden Award and was the second-leading vote-getter in the media voting for preseason Southeastern Conference Player of the Year in addition to other honors. He led the Volunteers with 20.3 points through the first five games of the season. Tennessee was 4-1 in those games.