Purdue junior forward Robbie Hummel was named one of 30 midseason for the Naismith Trophy presented by AT&T on Wednesday in an announcement by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
One of the most prestigious awards in college basketball, the Naismith Trophy is presented annually to the national player of the year. Finalists for the trophy will be announced on CBS during first-round action of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, and the award will be bestowed upon its winner at the 2010 Final Four in Indianapolis.
Beginning on March 22, AT&T wireless customers, and fans on other wireless networks, will be able to text their votes for the player of their choice. Fans will be eligible to cast their votes until 11:50 p.m. ET on April 3. AT&T is opening the voting to other wireless carriers if they choose to opt in for their subscribers to participate. Standard message rates will apply.
In 2010, fan voting will account for an unprecedented 25 percent of the final results.
The Boilermakers’ top rebounder and second-leading scorer, Hummel has been an integral component of a Purdue team that has posted its fourth-straight 20-win season, defeated three teams ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll and picked up five wins over teams ranked in the top 25 of the official NCAA RPI.
The Valparaiso, Ind., native is averaging 15.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and a career-best 1.1 blocks per contest on the year, becoming the 44th player in program history to break the 1,000-career point barrier and just the 19th to accrue 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. He has led Purdue in rebounds 13 times and points on eight occasions, recorded six double-doubles and turned in a streak of 20-straight double-figure scoring performances.
Hummel has also led the Big Ten and ranked among the national leaders in free throw percentage for the majority of the season, making a program-record 36 in a row at one point.
An all-conference selection in both of his collegiate seasons, Hummel was also named to the midseason watch list for the John R. Wooden Award, and is a finalist for the Oscar Robertson Trophy.
Notable winners of the Naismith Trophy include Bill Walton, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Kevin Durant and last year’s recipient, Blake Griffin.
2010 Oscar Robertson Trophy Finalists
Cole Aldrich, Jr., Kansas
Al-Farouq Aminu, So., Wake Forest
James Anderson, Jr., Oklahoma State
Luke Babbitt, So., Nevada
Trevor Booker, Sr., Clemson
Matt Bouldin, Sr., Gonzaga
Da’Sean Butler, Sr., West Virginia
Sherron Collins, Sr., Kansas
DeMarcus Cousins, Fr., Kentucky
Devan Downey, Sr., South Carolina
Jerome Dyson, Sr., Connecticut
Jimmer Fredette, Jr., BYU
Luke Harangody, Sr., Notre Dame
Gordon Hayward, So., Butler
Robbie Hummel, Jr., Purdue
Damion James, Sr., Texas
Wesley Johnson, Jr., Syracuse
Dominique Jones, Jr., South Florida
Sylven Landesberg, So., Virginia
Gani Lawal, Jr., Georgia Tech
Kalin Lucas, Jr., Michigan State
Greg Monroe, So., Georgetown
Jacob Pullen, Jr., Kansas State
Scottie Reynolds, Sr., Villanova
Omar Samhan, Sr., Saint Mary’s
Jon Scheyer, Sr., Duke
Evan Turner, Jr., Ohio State
Jarvis Varnado, Sr., Mississippi State
Greivis Vasquez, Sr., Maryland
John Wall, Fr., Kentucky