This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
There are six national player of the year awards in college basketball in which the recipient actually receives some hardware. BYU's Jimmer Fredette has now won five of those awards — with the sixth and final one, the Wooden Award, scheduled to be announced next Friday in Los Angeles. Sunday, Fredette picked up two more NPOY awards, including the prestigious Naismith Award, bestowed to the top player in the country by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. Fredette also won the Chip Hilton Award, which is handed out by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). Here are a few snippets from the news release sent out by the ATC tonight regarding the selection of Fredette. "Fredette was selected by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's National Voting Academy, comprised of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country, in addition to fan voting via text message, which accounted for 25 percent of the final results ‐ more than any other national college basketball award. The voting academy based its criteria on player performances throughout the season. The vote was tabulated and certified by the accounting firm of Habif, Arogeti & Wynne, LLP. HA&W is the largest independent accounting firm in Georgia and one of the top 50 firms in the United States. ATC Executive Director Eric Oberman: "As it is most years, this year's decision was incredibly difficult. In the end, Jimmer's exhilarating play for the Cougars this season was simply too much for voters to ignore. We congratulate Jimmer and all the finalists on a remarkable season and wish each of the best of luck in their future basketball careers." David Christopher, chief marketing officer, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets: "We join the Atlanta Tipoff Club in congratulating Jimmer Fredette, a truly impressive student‐athlete, We know the fans are also proud of his accomplishments – their text votes accounted for 25 percent of the final tally. We're glad our network was there to help connect Jimmer and his fans throughout the season and through this award." BYU coach Dave Rose: "Jimmer has put in the time and hard work to make himself the player he is today and is as committed to winning as anyone I've ever coached. Jimmer truly is a great player, a great teammate and an even better person and is very deserving of this award."