Pullen named Frances Pomeroy Naismith Winner

Senior guard Jacob Pullen was named the 2011 winner of the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award on Tuesday, which is given to the nation's top senior, six-foot and under, by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

"We are proud to honor Jacob with the 2011 Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award," said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. "The combination of his success on the court, and his achievements in the classroom as a student-athlete, make him a deserving recipient who exemplifies the qualities this award is designed to celebrate."

Pullen is the first Kansas State player to earn the accolade and the second consecutive Big 12 student-athlete, following last year's recipient Sherron Collins of Kansas. Overall, he is the 43rd winner of the award since 1969. Among the previous winners are UTEP's Tim Hardaway (1989), UCLA's Tyus Edney (1995) and Darren Collison (2009), Stanford's Brevin Knight (1997), Ohio State's Scoonie Penn (2000), Arizona's Jason Gardner (2003), St. Joseph's Jameer Nelson (2004), Washington's Nate Robinson (2005) and Illinois' Dee Brown (2006).

The school's all-time leading scorer with 2,132 points, Pullen led the Wildcats in 12 statistical categories, including scoring (20.2 ppg.), double-figure scoring games (29), field goals (191), 3-point field goals (74), free throws (170), assists (115), steals (49) and minutes (32.6 mpg.). He has been named to several All-American squads, including the third team by The Associated Press, The Sporting News and Yahoo! Sports and fourth team by FOXSports.com. He was also one of just two unanimous selections to coaches' All-Big 12 first team and the first Wildcat since Norris Coleman in 1986 and 1987 to earn first team all-conference twice in a career.

Pullen ranks in Top 5 of 17 career school records, including marks for scoring, games played (135), double-digit scoring games (105), 3-point field goals (299), 3-point field goals attempted (828) and steals (210). He also places in the Top 10 in six career categories in Big 12 Conference history, including fourth in scoring.

Pullen led K-State to a 23-11 overall record, including a tie for third place in Big 12 play with a 10-6 mark, during the 2010-11 season. He is just the third player in school history to lead the Wildcats to the postseason and to a 20-win season in each of his four years in the program.

The school's first three-time captain, Pullen will graduate from Kansas State with a degree in criminology in May 2011. He has been involved in several community service projects, including Read to Achieve, Adopt a Family, Special Olympics and Habitat for Humanity.

Named in honor of basketball inventor James Naismith's daughter-in-law, the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award is selected by a panel of representatives from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). To earn the award, the recipient must demonstrate leadership, character, loyalty, all-around basketball ability and excellence in the classroom. It is given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, which promotes and preserves the game of basketball at every level.