Southern California’s Top High School Players to be Honored at April 9 Wooden Award Gala

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (April 5, 2010) –  The John R. Wooden Award_® Committee today announced the seven outstanding high school basketball players who will receive the 2010 John R. Wooden High School Player of the Year Award: Bryce Jones, Woodland Hills Taft HS (City Section); Tyler Lamb, Santa Ana Mater Dei HS (Division I); Alex Varner, Rialto Eisenhower HS (Division II); Deonte Burton, Compton Centennial HS (Division III); Allen Crabbe, Los Angeles Price HS (Division IV); Wesley Saunders, Los Angeles Windward School (Division V); and Jon Conley, Los Angeles Ribet Academy (Division VI)

Each winner will receive a plaque, $300 in his name donated to his high school’s athletic fund, and will be recognized during the John R. Wooden Award Gala that also honors college basketball’s players of the year and Billy Donovan, Florida men’s basketball coach and the 2010 Legends of Coaching recipient.

Chosen by a panel of local area prep sports experts, the John R. Wooden Award High School Player of the Year Award is presented annually to the most valuable player in each of the six California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section divisions and the Los Angeles City Section. Past winners include current and former NBA and college standouts Baron Davis, Tayshaun Prince, Tyson Chandler, and Andre Miller. Bank of America continues to support The Los Angeles Athletic Club in honoring the Southland’s top players each season.

Jones (16.9 points, 7.5 rebounds), an All-City and All-State player, took his team to the LA City title game in 2010. Lamb, a 2010 Parade All-American, averaged 18.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists for Mater Dei. A four-year varsity starter, Varner (17.3 ppg, 5.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists) led Eisenhower to the Division IIA title as a senior. Burton averaged 21.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists as a Centennial senior, and scored more than 2,000 points during his high school career. Crabbe led Price to a state title and was a Parade All-American and Gatorade State Player of the Year, pouring in 23 points and 10 rebounds per game. Saunders averaged 22.9 points and 10.7 rebounds for Windward as a junior. Conley, recognized as a CIF Player of the Year, led Ribet to the Division VI title, averaging 21.0 points, 13.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.8 blocks per game.

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/her university that he/she is making progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA.  Previous winners include Michael Jordan (’84), Larry Bird (’79), Tim Duncan (’97),  Candace Parker (’07 and ’08), and Blake Griffin (’09) .

The Los Angeles Athletic Club has been a part of the Los Angeles community for more than 120 years.  Richard “Duke” Llewellyn, Chairman of the John R. Wooden Award has been a fixture in the community, as a three-sport letterman at USC and as an administrator, for six decades.  The High School Player of the Year Award recognizes the exemplary contributions made by local athletes.  The High School Award has grown from recognizing a single Player of the Year in 1994 to encompassing the six divisions of the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section and the Los Angeles City Section.

2010 John R. Wooden Award High School Players of the Year