Nearly 80 Top Colleges Vying for Award Celebrating Love for College Hoops

GAINESVILLE, Fla.  - North Carolina A&T State University has been nominated as one of the top college basketball student sections in the country and is asking for fan support to help win the prestigious title. Aggie fans will now have a say in determining the most deserving student section by voting for the Naismith Student Section of the Year Award. 

By visiting www.facebook.com/ILoveCollegeHoops, A&T fans can vote for the Dawg Pound as the top student section in college basketball. The Naismith Student Section of the Year Award, which is presented through a partnership of The Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC), a division 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.

"We want to encourage all students, alumni, staff, and fans to show their support of NC A&T by voting for the Dawg Pound as the greatest college basketball student section in the country," said Lori Dobbins, A&T's marketing director. "With colleges and universities all over the country vying for this top award, it is important that our fans visit the I Love College Hoops Facebook page, and vote for the Aggies."

Nearly 80 schools representing 21 conferences are vying for the title. The Big East and Big Ten Conferences have the most schools participating followed closely by the ACC and Big 12. Participation also includes athletic conferences ranging from Conference USA and the Pac-12 to the Big Sky, the MAC, and Southland.

The Naismith Student Section of the Year Award will be determined through two rounds of public votes, combined with a scoring of finalists by the Naismith Awards Board of Selectors, which 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.  Complete details on the selection process can be found at facebook.com/ilovecollegehoops.

The winning student section gets bragging rights, while the winning school will receive $5,000 for its athletic association.

 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 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.