Jan. 6, 2011
LOS ANGELES - San Diego State forward Kawhi Leonard was among 30 players selected to the John R. Wooden Award 2010-11 midseason list, The Los Angeles Athletic Club announced earlier today. 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 sophomore from Riverside, Calif., has helped No. 6 SDSU to its best-ever start to a season and its longest winning streak in the 90-year history of the program. Leonard leads the Aztecs (16-0, 1-0 Mountain West Conference) in scoring (15.6), rebounding (9.7) and steals (1.5), while shooting 48.0 percent from the field and averaging 2.5 assists. The 6-7 forward also has a team-high 10 double-doubles this season.
Leonard is one of five sophomores on the top-30 list, one of four players from a non-power league and one of two student-athletes from the Mountain West (Jimmer Fredette - BYU).
All players nationally who excel throughout the season will be evaluated and considered for the official voting ballot released in March. The National Ballot consists of approximately 20 top players who have proven to their universities that they are also making progress toward graduation and maintaining at least a cumulative 2.0 GPA. The Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced the week of the "Elite Eight" round during the NCAA Tournament, making it unique among college postseason awards.
The 35th annual Wooden Award ceremony, which will include the announcement of the Men's and Women's Wooden Award winners, a special tribute to Coach Wooden and Wooden Award founder Duke Llewellyn, and the presentation of the Wooden Award All American Teams and the Legends of Coaching Award, will take place the weekend of April 8-10, 2011.
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), Tim Duncan ('97), Blake Griffin ('09) and Maya Moore of Connecticut ('09). Ohio State's Evan Turner and Connecticut's Tina Charles won the Award in 2010.
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 on the Friday prior to the John R. Wooden Award Ceremony.
Follow the candidates and get the latest news throughout the season by logging on to www.WoodenAward.com. For more information on the John R. Wooden Award, please contact the Wooden Award staff at 213-630-5206 or email at woodenaward@laac.net.