Brittney Griner came out publicly as a lesbian in an interview with Sports Illustrated's Maggie Gray.

Griner was the No. 1 overall pick of the WNBA Draft on Monday.

Griner was asked about the differences between men's and women's sports, where the latter has several prominent, openly gay athletes.

"I really couldn't give an answer on why that's so different," said Griner. "Being one that's out, it's just being who you are. Again, like I said, just be who you are. Don't worry about what other people are going to say, because they're always going to say something, but, if you're just true to yourself, let that shine through. Don't hide who you really are."

Griner was asked if the decision to be candid with her sexuality was difficult.

"It really wasn't too difficult, I wouldn't say I was hiding or anything like that. I've always been open about who I am and my sexuality. So, it wasn't hard at all. If I can show that I'm out and I'm fine and everything's OK, then hopefully the younger generation will definitely feel the same way."

Marcus Smart has been named the Big 12 Player of the Year, becoming the first freshman to win the award since Michael Beasley in 2008 and Kevin Durant in 2007. Smart also was named Freshman of the Year.

Smart is joined on the All-Big 12 First Team by Ben McLemore and Jeff Withey of Kansas, Rodney McGruder of Kansas State and Romero Osby of Oklahoma.

On the All-Big 12 Second Team are Travis Releford of Kansas, Angel Rodriguez of Kansas State, Markel Brown of Oklahoma State, Will Clyburn of Iowa State and Pierre Jackson of Baylor.

On the All-Big 12 Third Team are Isaiah Austin of Baylor, Oklahoma's Amath M'Baye and Steven Pledger, LeBron Nash of Oklahoma State and Iowa State's Melvin Ejim.

Withey was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.

Stephen Clark will announce his college decision at 2 p.m. on Nov. 30, according to a report.

Clark, a 5-foot-10 guard, reportedly favors Baylor and Oklahoma State, with UCLA and Missouri also in the mix.

The 2012-13 Naismith early season watch list was released on Wednesday.

Below is a full list of nominees:

Kyle Anderson, UCLA
Chane Behanan, Louisville
Kenny Boynton, Florida
Lorenzo Brown, NC State
Trey Burke, Michigan
Isaiah Canaan, Murray State
Michael Carter-Williams, Syracuse
Rotnei Clarke, Butler
Jack Cooley, Notre Dame
DJ Cooper, Ohio
Aaron Craft, Ohio State
Matthew Dellavedova, Saint Mary's
Gorgui Dieng, Louisville
Michael Dixon Jr., Missouri
Jamaal Franklin, San Diego State
Tim Frazier, Penn State
Archie Goodwin, Kentucky
Elias Harris, Gonzaga
Pierre Jackson, Cincinnati
CJ Leslie, NC State
Mark Lyons, Arizona
Trevor Mbakwe, Minnesota
James Michael McAdoo, North Carolina
CJ McCollum, Lehigh
Doug McDermott, Creighton
Rodney McGruder, Kansas State
Ben McLemore, Kansas
Tony Mitchell, North Texas
Mike Moser, UNLV
Shabazz Muhammad, UCLA
Nerlens Noel, Kentucky
Kevin Pangos, Gonzaga
Mason Plumlee, Duke
Otto Porter, Georgetown
Alex Poythress, Kentucky
Phil Pressey, Missouri
Andre Roberson, Colorado
Peyton Siva, Louisville
Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State
Michael Snaer, Florida State
Jarnell Stokes, Tennessee
Adonis Thomas, Memphis
Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State
Christian Watford, Indiana
Jeff Withey, Kansas
Nate Wolters, South Dakota State
BJ Young, Arkansas
Patric Young, Florida
Cody Zeller, Indiana 

Stephen Clark has narrowed his college choices to Baylor and Oklahoma State, but is torn between which school is best positioned to showcase his talents.

“I like how (Baylor coach Scott Drew) has let his small point guards play,” said Clark, who measures 5-feet-11, 175-pounds. “A lot of his guards are in the top 15 in scoring in the school's history. He has a way of letting his point guards go play their game.”

Clark said Okahoma State presents a similar case.

“They let their short point guards go, like Keiton Page did, so hopefully I could do something like that, if not better,” he said. “And it's close to home, so my family will still be around me.”

Clark stars at Douglass High School in Oklahoma City, Okla.

Dominic Woodson, a top-40 prospect out of Huntington Prep in West Virginia, committed to Baylor on Thursday.

"Its close to home, a great academic school and has a great coaching staff," Woodon said. "And [there's] a chance to win a championship."

Woodson picked Baylor over North Carolina State.

"Dominic has made huge strides this year, not only on the court but from an attitude standpoint as well," Huntington Prep coach Rob Fulford said. "This is great place for him to mature because he realizes we are going win with or without him."

"He is understanding what it takes to be a teammate and has huge upside," he added. "I'm proud of Dominic for continuing to push through what hasn't been a very easy life."

Stephen Clark, a top-100 prospect in 2013, will take scheduled visits to Oklahoma State, UCLA, Baylor and Florida State before making his college decision.

Clark is expected to make his college announcement by Nov. 14, the opening day of the weeklong early signing period for high school basketball players.

Leron Black verbally committed to Baylor on Monday evening, his mother confirmed.

"He's wanted to (commit to Baylor) since his unofficial visit there (over Labor Day weekend)," Tola Black said.

Black, a consensus top-25 player in the 2014 class, chose the Bears over Memphis, Ohio State, Louisville and Kansas, among others.

Andrew and Aaron Harrison have narrowed their focus to Kentucky and Maryland, while SMU is in a distant third.

The Harrisons have eliminated Baylor and Villanova from consideration and plan to make a decision in late October.

Aaron and Andrew Harrison will host SMU, Kentucky, Villanova, Maryland and Baylor for in-home visits.

On Saturday the twins held a conference call with family members to discuss the five finalists they are seriously considering.

"We have a good feel for the schools, but now with the home visits we can confirm what we know from our talks and family meeting," said Aaron Harrison, father of the twins.