Los Angeles (March 30, 2011)— The John R. Wooden Award Men’s and Women’s All American teams were announced today by the Los Angeles Athletic Club. Selected to the women’s team were five players: 2009 Wooden Award winner Maya Moore of Connecticut; Gonzaga point guard Courtney Vandersloot; Baylor sophomore Brittney Griner; and Stanford’s duo of Jeanette Pohlen and Nnemkadi Ogwumike, who is a two-time selection.

Ballots Packed with Upperclassmen, Including Seniors Fredette and Smith on the Men’s Side, and U. Conn’s Moore and Stanford’s Pohlen for the Women

Los Angeles (March 14, 2011)— The John R. Wooden Award National Ballots for both the men and women were sent out today by The Los Angeles Athletic Club to nearly 1,000 members of the media who cover college basketball. Ballots were sent out to men’s and women’s voters separately. Selected by the Wooden Award National Advisory Board, each ballot is made up of 20 student-athletes who, based on their performances throughout the season, are the candidates for college basketball’s most prestigious honors. All 40 players have proven to their universities that they are also making progress toward graduation and are maintaining at least a cumulative 2.0 GPA.  The Wooden Award Men’s and Women’s All American Teams will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round during the NCAA Tournament, making it unique among college postseason awards. Voters have until Monday, March 28 at Noon PDT to return their ballots.

Dawn Evans, the Women’s Division I leading scorer and Wooden Award Midseason Nominee, and Alonzo Mourning (1992 Wooden Award All-American) share something more than a love of basketball. Both have achieved great success on the court despite suffering a kidney disease. And both are remarkable ambassadors for the sport.

For a terrific article about Dawn click here.

U. Conn’s Moore, the 2009 winner, and Stanford’s Ogwumike are returning All Americans

Los Angeles (January 11, 2011)— The John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 20 list was announced today by The Los Angeles Athletic Club.  The list is comprised of 20 student-athletes who, based on last year’s individual performance and team records, are the current frontrunners for college basketball’s most prestigious honor.

Seniors Dominate List, Led by Singler, Fredette

Los Angeles (January 6, 2011)— The John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 30 was announced today by The Los Angeles Athletic Club. Selected by the Wooden Award National Advisory Board, the list is made up of 30 student-athletes who, based on their performances in November and December, are the early frontrunners for college basketball’s most prestigious honor. The Women’s midseason list will be released early next week.

Congratulations to the U. Conn Huskies women’s basketball team and Head Coach Geno Auriemma, who won their 89^th game in a row last night when they defeated Florida State, 93-62, at the XL Center in Hartford. The win eclipsed the 88 straight victories John Wooden’s UCLA teams had from 1971-73. Three-time Wooden Award All American, and 2009 Wooden Award winner, Maya Moore led the Huskies with a career-high 41 points. No UCLA men’s player saw action in every game during the renowned men’s streak; Moore and Tiffany Hayes, both 2011 preseason Wooden Award candidates, played in all 89 games for U. Conn.

The Los Angeles Athletic Club and the UCLA Alumni Association launched an extensive partnership aimed at creating a Downtown LA private club to call home for UCLA Alumni. On November 2, 2010 LAAC and UCLA held a kick-off event at The Los Angeles Athletic Club featuring clubhouse tours, including the newly renovated Bruin Club Suite and the John R. Wooden Award basketball court, live jazz and a lavish appetizer buffet. Guests had their pictures taken with the UCLA Spirit squad and with the John R. Wooden Award. The special guest of the evening was the recipient of the 1st John R. Wooden Award, Marques Johnson.

Evan Turner has faced criticism before. Evan Turner has felt the weight of expectations before. Evan Turner has had to overcome obstacles before. He did so again Wednesday night the same way he has in the past–by working hard. In his NBA debut performance, Turner came off the bench to lead the 76ers in scoring against the much heralded Miami Heat.

Click here for full article

The smile that was ever-present when Griffin visited the Los Angeles Athletic Club for the presentation of the 2009 John R. Wooden Award was again present as he spoke to the Clippers home crowd before the game on Wednesday night.  The smile was soon replaced by a look of determination as Griffin took the floor for his first regular season NBA game.  His performance earned him accolades from a wide spectrum of viewers. The following articles are a sample of the reaction to his introduction to the NBA and the NBA’s introduction to him.

“The great UCLA basketball coach and sports philosopher died in June, but that won’t stop his admirers from celebrating his birthday today” – Daily News

http://www.dailybreeze.com/sports/ci_16334248