Eight Schools Advance to Final Round of Naismith Student Section of the Year Award

ATLANTA, Feb. 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- College basketball fans across the nation have responded and based on popular vote, the following eight schools have advanced to the final round of the Naismith Student Section of the Year Award:

Gonzaga Bulldogs
Illinois Fighting Illini
Indiana Hoosiers
Kansas Jayhawks
Pitt Panthers
Purdue Boilermakers
St. Bonaventure Bonnies
VCU Rams

The Naismith Student Section of the Year Award, which is presented through a partnership of The Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC), an affiliate of IMG College, and the Atlanta Tipoff Club, administrators of the Naismith Awards, is dedicated to celebrating fans that love college hoops and provide support to their college basketball team with devotion and passion. 

The eight institutions with the highest vote tally were deemed finalists and will now be placed in front of the Naismith Board of Selectors for the final selection. The Board will review criteria such as the student section's name and attendance, as well as photos, video, and a write-up submitted by the nominating school.

A total of 158 schools representing 25 conferences submitted entries for the award, which was launched on Jan. 17. The Student Section of the Year award winner is set to be announced on March 8. The winning school will receive $10,000 to be used in its general scholarship fund.

Complete details on the selection process can be found at facebook.com/ilovecollegehoops.

About The Collegiate Licensing Company
CLC is a division of global sports and entertainment company IMG. Founded in 1981, CLC is the oldest and largest collegiate trademark licensing agency in the U.S. and currently represents nearly 200 colleges, universities, bowl games, athletic conferences, The Heisman Trophy and the NCAA. The mission of CLC is to be the guiding force in collegiate trademark licensing and one of the top sports licensing firms in the country. CLC is dedicated to being a center of excellence in providing licensing services of the highest quality to its member institutions, licensees, retailers and consumers. Headquartered in Atlanta (Ga.), CLC is a full-service licensing representative, which employs a staff of more than 80 licensing professionals who provide full-service capabilities in brand protection, brand management, and brand development. For more information on CLC, visit: www.clc.com or www.imgworld.com.

About The Atlanta Tipoff Club
The Atlanta Tipoff Club, an Atlanta Sports Council property, 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, founded during the 1956-57 season, has presented the Naismith Trophy every year since UCLA's Lew Alcindor first won the award in 1969. Old Dominion's Anne Donovan won the inaugural Women's Naismith Trophy in 1983.

The Naismith Award has become the most prestigious award in all of college basketball, recognizing the Men's and Women's College Basketball Player of the Year, Men's and Women's College Basketball Coach of the Year, as well as awards for outstanding achievement in high school basketball, officiating, and contribution to the game.

SOURCE The Collegiate Licensing Company

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