LOS ANGELES, CA – Saint Joseph’s star guard Jameer Nelson was named college basketball player of the year and presented with the prestigious John R. Wooden Award in a ceremony this morning at The Los Angeles Athletic Club. Coach Wooden made the announcement during a national CBS telecast of the “John R. Wooden Award Show Presented by Allstate.”

LOS ANGELES, Calif., — University of Stanford Head Basketball Coach Mike Montgomery, Stanford’s all-time winningest basketball coach, has been named this year’s recipient of the John R. Wooden “Legends of Coaching” honor, the Award’s chairman and founder Richard “Duke” Llewellyn announced today. Montgomery will join an exclusive group of coaches to receive the Wooden honor including North Carolina’s Dean Smith, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, Arizona’s Lute Olson, Louisville’s Denny Crum and last year’s honoree, former Kansas Coach and current North Carolina Coach Roy Williams.

Legendary college basketball coach, John R. Wooden received the nation’s highest civilian honor when he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House on July 23, 2003. Coach Wooden was the mastermind behind 10 national championships at UCLA and was the first member to be inducted into the college basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and coach.

LOS ANGELES, CA – The John R. Wooden Award, widely known as the most coveted individual honor in men’s college basketball, today announced the creation of the John R. Wooden Women’s Award that will be presented annually to the most outstanding female collegiate basketball player beginning in the 2003-2004 season.