Marginean Selected as Preseason Candidate For Naismith Trophy
Philadelphia - Senior Gabriela Marginean is one of 50 women's basketball players selected from a national pool of candidates for the Preseason Watch List for the Naismith Trophy. The senior forward is one of three CAA players on the short list, named annually by the Atlanta Tipoff Club, for what is widely considered one of the top honors in high school and collegiate basketball.
Candidates are selected based on their success last season and projected performance in 2009-10. Marginean was the 2009 CAA Player of the Year and led Drexel to its first ever CAA Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance. This season she was named CAA Preseason Player of the Year for the second straight year and her team was picked to repeat as league champions. Marginean is also a preseason candidate for the John R. Wooden Award.
In her first two games this season, Marginean has lived up to her preseason expectations, leading Drexel with 27 points in the season opener versus Penn State and recording a double-double in Sunday's game against Penn. She set new career highs with four assists and six steals during the week and earned the CAA's first Player of the Week Award this season. She is just three points away from breaking Drexel's all-time scoring record as the team plays in Richmond on Friday.
Fellow CAA players Dawn Evans, of James Madison, and Elena Delle Donne, of Delaware, also made the preseason list. Evans was a preseason All-CAA First Team selection and the rookie Delle Donne was placed on the preseason All-CAA Second Team.
The Tipoff Club will narrow the list down to 30 players in late February and in March the selectors will vote for the top four candidates. Once these four are selected, fans will have a chance to text their votes to help pick the Naismith Trophy winner.