Race for the Award

Preseason Poll
The Awards’Preseason Committee begins the selection process in August of the year preceding the Wooden Award announcement. The committee evaluates players based on individual performance and team play from the previous year to determine the Women’s Preseason Top 30 and the Men’s Preseason Top 50 Player’s are eligible as long as they are enrolled at an institution of higher learning in the United States.

Mid-Season Poll
In mid January, the committee whittles the list down to the Midseason Top 30 candiates for the men and the Midseason Top 20 for the women. These lists are intended to give our voters an indication of players in contention for the Award. However, players who do not make these lists are still eligible for consideration.

From these two lists, the Wooden Award offices begins to certify with Universities and Colleges players that are eligible by assuring each player is making progress toward graduation and has a minimum GPA of 2.00 at their current institution (certified by the university). In addition, following the release of the midseason poll, additional players are tracked and certified to meet the Wooden Award criteria.

The Ballot
By the end of February, the Wooden Award National Advisory Board’s slates the ballot down to around 20 for the men and around 15 for the women, based on their own interpretation of who are the most outstanding players in collegiate basketball. To ensure that a players name appears on the ballot, that player must be in good standing at his current university and must be maintaining a minimum 2.00 grade average at that school.

The official ballot is released in late February and sent to over 1,000 voters for the men’s award and over 250 for the womens’s award. The accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche LLP audits all the votes received from our online voting system and those ballots mailed in for the John R.Wooden Award.

The Announcement of the All-Americans
The 10-man All-American Team is announced the Tuesday folowing the “Elite Eight ” round of the NCAA Tournament. The players who receive the most votes are invited to The Los Angeles Athletic Club for the Wooden Award presentation the weekend following the NCAA championship game. One of these players will be named the John R. Wooden Award Player of the Year at a live announcement from The Club where he is awarded the prestigious five-figured bronze trophy. Women’s award information will be announced.

The top 10 male players and the top five female players in voting will be names to the All-American Team, which will be announced in March 2009.

The Announcement of the Wooden Award trophy recipient
The presentation is made during a live broadcast on Friday, April 10, 2009.

A replica trophy bearing the winner’s name is also given to his university. Following the announcement a special Awards Gala held at The Los Angeles Athletic Club honoring the Player’s of the Year. Each coach of the top players receives a scholarship check for his university’s general fund.

The John R. Wooden High School Player of the Year Awards are presented at the Wooden Award banquet. The awards are presented to the most valuable player in each of the six California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section divisions and one Los Angeles City division. Each player receives a plaque and scholarship check is given to the school’s athletic fund.