LOS ANGELES, Calif. (March 23, 2015) –The John R. Wooden Award Committee today announced the seven outstanding Southern California high school basketball players who will be awarded the 2015 John R. Wooden High School Player of the Year Award: CIF Los Angeles City Section, Lindsey Drew, Fairfax High School (Los Angeles); CIF Southern Section Division I, Lonzo Ball, Chino Hills High School (Chino Hills); CIF Southern Section Division II, Chimezie Metu, Lawndale High School (Lawndale); CIF Southern Section Division III, Jeremy Hemsley, Damien High School (La Verne); CIF Southern Section Division IV, Stephen Thompson Jr., Bishop Montgomery High School (Torrance); CIF Southern Section Division V, Cody Riley, Sierra Canyon High School (Chatsworth); CIF Southern Section Division VI, Roderick Williams, Price High School (Los Angeles).

Wells Fargo is sponsoring the high school awards program for the first time this season. All players will be presented with their awards in conjunction with the April 10 ESPN College Basketball Awards Show presented by Wendy’s, held at Club Nokia at LA Live. This year marks the 39^th anniversary of the Wooden Award, and the high school winners will be honored along with the men’s and women’s Wooden All American teams and the Legends of Coaching honoree, Steve Fisher of San Diego State University.

Drew was the MVP of the Western League, posting 14.2 points, 9.6 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game. Ball recorded great numbers for Chino Hills: 23.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 9.2 assists, 5 steals, and 4 blocks. Lawndale, behind Metu, advanced to the Division 2AA title game in the Southern Section; he averaged 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks and boasts a 3.5 GPA.  Hemsley averaged 21 points, 6 assists, and 6 rebounds for Damien.

Thompson led Bishop Montgomery to the CIF Southern Section Open Division title, averaging 24.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 2.6 steals. Riley led Division V Sierra Canyon into the quarterfinals of the Southern Section Open Division, averaging 15.5 Points, 8.8 Rebounds, and 2.2 Blocks. Williams was Price’s top scorer, at 15 points per game, and 8 rebounds.

About the John R. Wooden Award

Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball.  It is bestowed upon the nation’s best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his or her university that he or she is making progress toward graduation and maintaining a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA.  Previous winners include such notables as Larry Bird (’79), Michael Jordan (’84), Tim Duncan (’97), Candace Parker (’07 and ’08), Kevin Durant (’09) and Maya Moore of Connecticut (’09 and ‘11). Doug McDermott of Creighton won the 2014 Wooden Award presented by Wendy’s.

Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed close to a million dollars to universities’ general scholarship fund in the names of the All American recipients. The Award has also sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps in the Award’s name.   Additionally, the John R. Wooden Award partners with Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) each year to host the Wooden Award Special Olympics Southern California Basketball Tournament.  The day-long tournament, which brings together Special Olympic athletes and the All Americans, takes place at The Los Angeles Athletic Club the weekend of April 10-12.

Follow the candidates and get the latest news throughout the season by logging on to www.WoodenAward.com, following us on Twitter (@WoodenAward), or going to the Wooden Award facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/WoodenAward.  For more information on the John R. Wooden Award, please contact the Wooden Award staff at 213-630-5231 or via email at [email protected].

2015 John R. Wooden Award High School Players of the Year

Presented by Wells Fargo