John R. Wooden Award^® presented by Wendy’s^®

Announces Late Season Top 20 List

LOS ANGELES, CA (February 8, 2017) – The Los Angeles Athletic Club announced the Late Season Top 20 list in an effort to further pare down the list of outstanding candidates for the 2017 John R. Wooden Award^® presented by Wendy’s^®. The list of players was announced on ESPNU today.

After not appearing on either the men’s Wooden Award^™ Preseason Top 50 or the Midseason Top 25, Bonzie Colson, the ACC’s leading rebounder, and Marcus Keene, the nation’s leading scorer, appear on the Late Season Top 20. Likewise, players not appearing on this list are still eligible for the Final Ballot, which will be announced in early March and will consist of 15 top players. Prior to being listed on the Final Ballot, each player must be certified by their university to meet the qualifications of the Award, including: candidates must be full-time students in an accredited NCAA college or university; candidates must be a full-time student making progress toward graduation and have a cumulative 2.00 grade point average since enrolling in their school; candidates must exhibit strength of character, both on and off the court; candidates should contribute to team effort; candidates must excel in both offense and defense; and candidates should be considered on their performance over the course of the entire season. Voting begins at the end of the season, and voters, consisting of nearly 1,000 members of the national college basketball media, will take into account the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament. 

Three schools are represented with two players on the Late Season Top 20: Kansas (Frank Mason III and Josh Jackson), Kentucky (De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk), and North Carolina (Joel Berry II and Justin Jackson). The ACC leads the conference tally with five selections, followed by the Pac-12 with four, the Big 12 and Big Ten with 3 apiece, the SEC with two, and the Big East, MAC, and WCC with one selection each.

The 41^st annual presentation of the John R. Wooden Award® to the men’s and women’s most outstanding basketball player will be the anchor presentation of the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show presented by Wendy’s® on ESPN2 on Friday, April 7, 2017. The men’s and women’s John R. Wooden Award All-American Teams will be honored during the ceremony, and the 2017 Wooden Award Legends of Coaching Trophy™ will be presented to Muffet McGraw, Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Notre Dame. 

About the John R. Wooden Award

Created in 1976 by the Los Angeles Athletic Club, the John R. Wooden Award® program features the most prestigious individual honors in college basketball. The Wooden Award Trophy is bestowed annually upon the nation’s best male and female player, who have met the selection criteria as set forth by the Award’s creators. Previous winners include such notables as Larry Bird (‘79), Michael Jordan (‘84), Tim Duncan (‘97), Candace Parker (‘07 and ‘08), Kevin Durant (‘07), Maya Moore (‘09 and ’11), Trey Burke (’13), Doug McDermott (‘14), Frank Kaminsky (’15). Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield won the 2016 men’s Wooden Award presented by Wendy’s and Breanna Stewart of Connecticut won the 2016 women’s Wooden Award.

Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award® has contributed close to a million dollars to the general scholarship fund of the honoree’s University in the name of the All-American recipient. The Award has also enabled more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long basketball camps in the Award’s name. Additionally, the John R. Wooden Award partners with the Special Olympics Southern California each year to host the Wooden Award Special Olympics Southern California Basketball Tournament. The day-long tournament takes place at the Los Angeles Athletic Club the weekend of the John R. Wooden Award® presentation, and brings together Special Olympics athletes and the Wooden Award All-Americans.

Fans can follow the candidates en route to the Wooden Award presentation and get the latest news by liking the Wooden Award Facebook page or following @WoodenAward on Twitter and Instagram. For more information on the John R. Wooden Award, please contact Ernest Baskerville at (213) 630-5231 or via email at [email protected].

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