Jimmer Fredette, now of the Sacramento Kings, won the 2011 Naismith Award for his performance during the 2010-11 college basketball season. Might the award stay within Utah for a second year in a row? Weber St. Wildcats' guard Damian Lillard would like to think so. He was recently named to the Naismith 'Midseason 30' list, which was released on Wednesday.
Lillard has averaged 24.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game through the end of the regular season. He has helped the Wildcats to a No. 2 seed in the 2012 Big Sky Tournament. His scoring average is second in the nation, behind only the Oakland Golden Grizzlies Reggie Hamilton (25.5 ppg).
The Naismith Award has given out to the most outstanding college basketball player each year since 1969. Past winners include Kenyon Martin (2000) and Marcus Camby (1996).
The full list is below:
| Player | School | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Harrison Barnes | North Carolina | Forward |
| Will Barton | Memphis | Forward |
| Kenny Boynton | Florida | Guard |
| Isaiah Canaan | Murray State | Guard |
| Anthony Davis | Kentucky | Forward |
| Matthew Dellavedova | Saint Mary’s (Calif.) | Guard |
| Marcus Denmon | Missouri | Guard |
| Draymond Green | Michigan State | Forward |
| John Henson | North Carolina | Forward |
| John Jenkins | Vanderbilt | Guard |
| Darius Johnson-Odom | Marquette | Guard |
| Kevin Jones | West Virginia | Forward |
| Perry Jones III | Baylor | Forward/Center |
| Kris Joseph | Syracuse | Forward |
| Michael Kidd-Gilchrist | Kentucky | Forward |
| Damian Lillard | Weber State | Guard |
| Scott Machado | Iona | Guard |
| Doug McDermott | Creighton | Forward |
| Dominique Morrison | Oral Roberts | Forward |
| Mike Moser | UNLV | Forward |
| Arnett Moultrie | Mississippi State | Forward |
| Phil Pressey | Missouri | Guard |
| Thomas Robinson | Kansas | Forward |
| Mike Scott | Virginia | Forward |
| Jared Sullinger | Ohio State | Forward |
| Jordan Taylor | Wisconsin | Guard |
| Dion Waiters | Syracuse | Guard |
| Royce White | Iowa State | Forward |
| Tony Wroten | Washington | Guard |
| Cody Zeller | Indiana | Forward |
For more college basketball, stick with SB Nation NCAA Basketball throughout March Madness.