March 4, 2010

BERKELEY -

California senior guard Alexis Gray-Lawson is the 2010 recipient of the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award, presented annually by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the nation's outstanding female collegian 5-feet-8-inches and under who has excelled both athletically and academically.

Gray-Lawson, a three-time Pac-10 postseason honors recipient, is in her fifth season at Cal, utilizing a fifth-year of eligibility due to an ACL injury as a sophomore in 2006-07. She is the career record holder for three-pointers at Cal and has been named Pac-10 Player of the Week twice in her career with the Bears. Gray-Lawson is averaging 18.1 points and 5.7 rebounds a game this season and is a candidate for the 2010 State Farm Wade Trophy and the Naismith Trophy. She was named a Preseason First Team All-American by Sports Illustrated.

Born in Oakland, Calif., Gray-Lawson is a social welfare major at Cal. She was a member of the 2009 Team USA squad that competed at the World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia. She became the 20th Cal player to reach the 1,000-point plateau, the ninth to score 1,500 career points and as a freshman was the first Cal player to be named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year.

"Alexis Gray-Lawson is already a highly decorated student-athlete," stated John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. "And there is no question that she represents the best in the game today. We are proud to add her name to the distinguished list of former recipients of the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award."

The Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award is named in honor of James Naismith's daughter-in-law. A panel of representatives from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) selects the recipient. To earn the award, the recipient must demonstrate leadership, character, loyalty, all-around basketball ability and excellence in the classroom.

Gray-Lawson will be formally recognized at the WBCA Awards Luncheon presented by State Farm and Jostens at Noon CT on Tuesday, April 6, at the Marriott River Center Grand Ballroom. This event is part of the WBCA National Convention and is held in conjunction with the NCAA® Women's Final Four® in San Antonio, Texas.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame pays tribute to the game's inventor, Dr. James Naismith. Located in Springfield, Mass., "the Birthplace of Basketball," Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame promotes and preserves men and women's basketball at every level - professional, collegiate, scholastic, Olympic, international and wheelchair.

Past Pomeroy Naismith Award Recipients

2009 - Renee Montgomery, University of Connecticut
2008 - Jolene Anderson, University of Wisconsin
2007 - Lindsey Harding, Duke University
2006 - Megan Duffy, University of Notre Dame
2005 - Tan White, Mississippi State University
2004 - Erika Valek, Purdue University
2003 - Kara Lawson, University of Tennessee
2002 - Sheila Lambert, Baylor University
2001 - Niele Ivey, University of Notre Dame
2000 - Helen Darling, Penn State University
1999 - Becky Hammond, Colorado State
1998 - Angie Arnold, Johns Hopkins University
1997 - Jennifer Howard, North Carolina State University
1996 - Jennifer Rizzotti, University of Connecticut
1995 - Amy Dodrill, Johns Hopkins University
1994 - Nicole Levesque, Wake Forest University
1993 - Dena Evans, University of Virginia
1992 - Rosemary Kosiorek, West Virginia University
1991 - Shanya Evans, Providence College
1990 - Julie Dabrowski, New Hampshire
1989 - Paulette Backstrom, Bowling Green
1988 - Suzie McConnell, Penn State
1987 - Rhonda Windham, USC
1986 - Kamie Etheridge, Texas
1985 - Maria Stack, Gonzaga
1984 - Kim Mulkey, Louisiana Tech