Sports Hall of Fame and Wireless Provider Honor State’s Top Male and Female College Basketball Players

Jackson, Miss., (March 4, 2013) – The Southeastern Conference's leading scorer, Ole Miss's all-time leading rebounder and the leading scorer for Southern Miss's 22-7 Golden Eagles make up the finalists for the 2013 C Spire Howell Trophy, which will be awarded at a March 11 luncheon at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum.

Marshall Henderson and Murphy Holloway both will represent Ole Miss, while Dwayne Davis is USM's finalist. Finalists for the C Spire Gillom Trophy include Martha Alwal of Mississippi State, Jamierra Faulkner of Southern Miss and Valencia McFarland of Ole Miss, who was also a finalist in 2012.

The C Spire Howell and Gillom trophies go annually to the most outstanding men's and women's senior college basketball players, respectively, in Mississippi. The Howell Trophy is named for Naismith Hall of Famer Bailey Howell, the former Mississippi State All American and NBA All-Star. The Gillom Trophy is named for Peggie Gillom-Granderson, an All American at Ole Miss and then a coach at the collegiate, professional and Olympic levels.

Former Ole Miss Lady Rebels head coach Van Chancellor, one of the most decorated coaches in the history of women’s collegiate and professional basketball, will be the keynote speaker at the 11:30 a.m. luncheon. Chancellor, Howell and Gillom are all Mississippi Sports Hall of Famers.

C Spire Howell finalists

Dwayne Davis, senior guard, USM: Davis leads a balanced Golden Eagle scoring attack averaging 14.5 points per game, shooting 48 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range and 79 percent from the foul line. He has been at his best in USM's biggest games, totaling 53 points in two games against nationally ranked Memphis.

Marshall Henderson, junior guard, Ole Miss: Henderson leads the SEC with a 19.5 scoring average, shooting 37.5 percent from the field, 35.6 percent from the foul line and 87.6 percent from behind the 3-point arc. He scored a career-high 32 points against Tennessee, including 24 in the second half. Henderson also tied the school record for 3-pointers in a single game, hitting 8 or 12 against Auburn in a 28-point effort, and set the single season record for 3-pointers made over the weekend in a game against Mississippi State.

Murphy Holloway, senior forward, Ole Miss: In his final season, Holloway has become the all-time leading Ole Miss rebounder. Holloway averages 14.8 points and an SEC-best 9.8 rebounds per game. Holloway is the SEC’s active leader in rebounds and double-doubles, ranks second in steals and third in points.

C Spire Gillom finalists

Martha Alwal, senior center, Mississippi State: Leads Lady Bulldogs in scoring (12.3), rebounding (9.9), and in blocked shots with 74 total. She is second in the SEC in both rebounding and blocked shots and is fourth in free throw percentage at 78.3 percent. She scored and rebounded in double figures in the same game 16 times.

Jamierra Faulkner, junior guard, Southern Miss: Leads USM in scoring with an 18.7 average and in assists with 6.6 a game. That ranks her first in Conference USA by more than two assists per game and also second in the league in scoring. She also leads Conference USA with 3.4 steals per game and 94. Accounts for approximately 33 of USM’s 62 points per game.

Valencia McFarland, junior guard, Ole Miss: Leads the Lady Rebels in scoring (11.4) and rebounding (5.3). She ranks in the top five in the SEC in assists, steals, minutes played and assists to turnovers ratio.

2013 marks the 17th anniversary of the Outstanding Player Awards presentation. C Spire Wireless has served as title sponsor for 15 years since 1998. The Conerly Trophy in college football, the Howell Trophy in men’s college basketball, the Gillom Trophy in women’s college basketball and the Ferriss Trophy in college baseball comprise the four elements of the C Spire Outstanding Player Award series.

“We’re always pleased with the caliber of young men and women who are selected as finalists for the Howell and Gillom awards,” said Jim Richmond, vice president of Corporate Communications for C Spire. “This is shaping up as another strong year in terms of individual performance and leadership on the basketball court. We’re expecting a strong crop of finalists this year,” he said.

All finalists are expected to attend the luncheon awards program along with their head coaches. Tickets are $35 each and include a buffet-style meal. All proceeds benefit the private, non-profit Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. For ticket information, contact the Museum at 601-982-8264.

About C Spire Wireless

C Spire Wireless is a diversified wireless communications company passionately committed to helping customers by personalizing wireless services designed just for them. The company is the first wireless provider in the U.S. to personalize customers’ experience by offering apps that fit who they are, services that anticipate their needs, and rewards for using their phone in new ways – all with seamless ease and at amazingly fast speeds. This news release and other announcements are available at www.cspire.com/news. For more information about C Spire Wireless and its products and services, visit www.cspire.com or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cspire or Twitter at www.twitter.com/cspire or Google + or www.pinterest.com/cspirewireless