March 7, 2013

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Maryland junior Alyssa Thomas has been named the 2013 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year by the league’s Blue Ribbon Panel, while Thomas and Duke’s Chelsea Gray have been named ACC Co-Players of the Year in a vote of the league’s 12 head coaches. The announcement of both awards was made today by Commissioner John Swofford.

Thomas was the 2012 ACC Player of the Year and was named ACC Rookie of the Year two years ago. The Harrisburg, Pa., All-American led the league in rebounding throughout the season with 10.3 boards per game. The 6-foot-2 Thomas is third in the league in scoring with 17.7 points per game. In ACC games only, Thomas led the league in scoring, rebounds and assists. Thomas also led the league with 17 double-doubles with 12 in 18 ACC games.

Gray, of Manteca, Calif., was having one of the best all-around seasons in Duke history prior to being injured in the first half against Wake Forest on Feb. 17. The 5-fot-11 Gray suffered a dislocated kneecap and will miss the rest of the season, after starting the first 25 contests. Gray was averaging 13.1 points, 5.6 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 3.7 steals heading into game against the Demon Deacons. She leads the ACC in assists and steals, while sixth nationally in steals as well. The league’s head coaches voted on an ACC Player of the Year this season for the first time.

The 36th Annual ACC Women's Basketball Tournament tips off at 11 a.m. ET on Thursday, March 7, and will conclude with a 2 p.m. championship contest on Sunday, March 10. The title game will be televised on ESPN2. All 10 games on Thursday, Friday and Saturday will be broadcast on the league’s regional sports network (RSN). The entire tournament can also be seen on ESPN3 and WatchESPN.