ATLANTA (March 24, 2023) – The Atlanta Tipoff Club today announced the 2023 Georgia Women’s and Men’s College Players and Coaches of the Year award winners. The honorees are:

Georgia Women’s College Player of the Year 

Terren Ward, Georgia Southern University

  • Averaged 18.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game this season, leading the Eagles in all three categories for a second straight year
  • Led the Sun Belt Conference in scoring, ranking 3rd in steals and 5th in rebounding
  • Scored 573 points this season, the most for an Eagle since 1989-90
  • First Eagle to earn first-team All-Sun Belt Conference honors since joining the league in 2014
  • Reached 1,000 career points this season

Georgia Men’s College Player of the Year

Chris Youngblood, Kennesaw State University

  • Averaged 14.7 points per game this season, and was the leading scorer for Kennesaw State
  • His 513 points this season ranked seventh-highest all-time at KSU, and he ranks 14th all-time in career scoring with 1,226 points
  • Reached double figures in 27 regular season games and all 18 conference games – scored 20+ points in six games this season
  • Named to ASUN All-Conference First Team & ASUN All-Tournament team
  • Named to NABC First Team – First time in program history for a KSU player to receive district accolades

Whack Hyder Georgia Women’s College Coach of the Year

Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, University of Georgia

  • In her first season as the Georgia head coach, led the Lady Bulldogs to a 22-12 record and a sixth-place finish in the SEC.
  • Secured Georgia’s first NCAA Tournament victory over a Power 5 opponent since 2013 (Florida State)
  • Won 5 straight conference games in February – Georgia’s best SEC win streak in six seasons
  • Finished the season by winning nine of final 13 games – losses coming from three top ten ranked schools (No 1 South Carolina, No 2 Iowa, and No 9 LSU)
  • Led a roster of 10 new players and new Georgia assistant coaching staff 

Whack Hyder Georgia Men’s College Coach of the Year

Amir Abdur-Rahim, Kennesaw State University

  • Led Kennesaw State to an ASUN Regular Season Championship – first time in program history
  • Finished with Owls’ best record as a Division I school, posting a 26-9 mark, which was also the first winning season ever as a Division I program for KSU
  • Led KSU to its first-ever ASUN Tournament championship, and the first-ever NCAA tournament appearance in school history
  • KSU was the fastest team ever to reach NCAA tournament after a one-win season
  • Named ASUN Coach of the Year

ABOUT THE ATLANTA TIPOFF CLUB

Founded during the 1956-57 season, the Atlanta Tipoff Club is committed to promoting the game of basketball and recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of those who make the game so exciting. The Atlanta Tipoff Club administers the Naismith Awards, the most prestigious national honors in all of college and high school basketball. Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, inventor of the game of basketball, the family of Naismith Awards annually recognizes the most outstanding men’s and women’s college and high school basketball players and coaches. Other Naismith Awards are presented to the men’s and women’s college basketball defensive players of the year, as well as lifetime achievement awards to basketball officials and outstanding contributors to the game. UCLA’s Lew Alcindor received the first Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy in 1969, while the late Anne Donovan (Old Dominion) was the inaugural women’s recipient in 1983. Corporate partners of the Naismith Awards include Jersey Mike’s and Werner Ladder.

 

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