Atlanta, Georgia (April 5, 2013)— The John R. Wooden Award® presented by Wendy’s®, the preeminent men’s collegiate basketball player of the year award, was presented today on ESPN by Coach John Wooden’s grandson, Greg, on behalf of the Los Angeles Athletic Club, to University of Michigan sophomore guard Trey Burke. Greg Wooden made the announcement on ESPN SportsCenter, and Burke will be awarded the Wooden Award Trophy whose unique design was inspired by Coach Wooden’s idea of the “total basketball player.” The 37th Annual Wooden Award Gala presented by Wendy’s, honoring Burke and the men’s and women’s Wooden All American Teams, will take place Friday April 12 at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

After a stellar sophomore year in which he has averaged 18.8 points and 6.8 assists (No. 12 in the nation), taking his Wolverines to the Final Four for the first time since 1993, Burke is also the 2013 Big Ten Conference Player of the Year. Known as a scorer who also creates offense for his teammates, Burke is a native of Columbus, Ohio. Playing in the grueling Big Ten, Burke’s 3.12 assist-to-turnover ration ranks third in the country. His three-pointer to send the Wolverine’s into overtime against Kansas in the Sweet 16 is one of the top moments of this year’s NCAA Tournament, and he was the MVP of the South Regional.

Voters include hundreds of national college basketball media who selected and ranked 10 players. In the closest voting since Duke’s J.J. Redick finished 72 points ahead of Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison in 2006, Burke had 2,808 points, just ahead of second-place finisher Victor Oladipo of Indiana (2,718). Returning Wooden All American Doug McDermott of Creighton was third (2,344,) followed by Otto Porter, Jr. of Georgetown (2,144) and Gonzaga’s Kelly Olynyk (2,079). The rest of the Wooden All American team, announced last week, from places six through ten, include Miami’s Shane Larkin, Indiana’s Cody Zeller, Duke’s Mason Plumlee, Ohio State’s DeShaun Thomas and Kansas’ Ben McLemore.

Burke is the first Michigan Wooden All American since Chris Webber in 1993, and is the first Wolverine to be named a Wooden Award winner. He is the fourth Big 10 player to win the John R. Wooden Award, and the first since Ohio State’s Evan Turner in 2010.

All players proved that they are making progress toward graduation and are maintaining at least a cumulative 2.0 GPA. Voters were asked to take into account performance during the regular season and postseason through the first three rounds of the NCAA tournament, as well as a player’s character and academic performance, essential components of an outstanding player. Michigan will receive a contribution to their general scholarship fund in Burke’s name from The Los Angeles Athletic Club.

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), Danny Manning (’88), TJ Ford (’03), Candace Parker (’07 and ’08), Kevin Durant (’09) and Maya Moore (’09 and ‘11). Kentucky freshman Anthony Davis won the men’s Award in 2012.

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 the John R. Wooden Award Gala.

Follow the candidates and get the latest news throughout the season by logging on to www.WoodenAward.com 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 213-630-5206 or via email at [email protected].

2013 Wooden Award VOTE TOTALS as compiled by Deloitte
Trey Burke, Michigan, 2808 points
Victor Oladipo, Indiana, 2718
Doug McDermott, Creighton, 2344
Otto Porter, Jr., Georgetown, 2144
Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga, 2079
Shane Larkin, Miami (FL), 1822
Cody Zeller, Indiana, 1730
Mason Plumlee, Duke, 1304
DeShaun Thomas, Ohio State, 1202
Ben McLemore, Kansas, 1072

John R. Wooden Award® Presented by Wendy’s® All Time Wooden Award Winners
1977 Marques Johnson University of California, Los Angeles
1978 Phil Ford University of North Carolina
1979 Larry Bird Indiana State University
1980 Darrell Griffith University of Louisville
1981 Danny Ainge Brigham Young University
1982 Ralph Sampson University of Virginia
1983 Ralph Sampson University of Virginia
1984 Michael Jordan University of North Carolina
1985 Chris Mullin Saint John’s University
1986 Walter Berry Saint John’s University
1987 David Robinson United States Naval Academy
1988 Danny Manning University of Kansas
1989 Sean Elliott University of Arizona
1990 Lionel Simmons La Salle University
1991 Larry Johnson University of Nevada, Las Vegas
1992 Christian Laettner Duke University
1993 Calbert Cheaney Indiana University
1994 Glenn Robinson Purdue University
1995 Ed O’Bannon University of California, Los Angeles
1996 Marcus Camby University of Massachusetts
1997 Tim Duncan Wake Forest University
1998 Antawn Jamison University of North Carolina
1999 Elton Brand Duke University
2000 Kenyon Martin University of Cincinnati
2001 Shane Battier Duke University
2002 Jason Williams Duke University
2003 T.J. Ford University of Texas
2004 Jameer Nelson St. Joseph’s
2005 Andrew Bogut University of Utah
2006 J.J. Redick Duke University
2007 Kevin Durant University of Texas
2008 Tyler Hansbrough University of North Carolina
2009 Blake Griffin University of Oklahoma
2010 Evan Turner Ohio State University
2011 Jimmer Fredette Brigham Young University
2012 Anthony Davis University of Kentucky
2013 Trey Burke University of Michigan