Jan. 10, 2013
NOTRE DAME, Ind. –
University of Notre Dame senior forward Jack Cooley (Glenview, Ill.), who leads the Irish in both scoring (15.5) and rebounding (11.4), was among 25 players named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 as announced on Thursday, Jan. 10 by The Los Angeles Athletic Club on ESPNU.
Cooley, who ranks sixth in rebounding and is tied for second nationally with 10 double-doubles this season, is among five BIG EAST players chosen to the list. Selected by the Wooden Award National Advisory Board, the 25 players named are chosen based on their performances in November, December and early January, and are considered the frontrunners for college basketball’s most prestigious honor.
Creighton forward Doug McDermott and Murray State guard Isaiah Canaan, both 2012 Wooden Award All Americans, return to the midseason list in 2013. Canaan averages 21.4 points per game for the 11-3 Racers. McDermott is the nation’s No. 3 scorer, at 23.1 ppg, and has taken the Bluejays to a 14-1 record to start the season.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the official ballot. The National Ballot consists of approximately 20 top players who have proven to their universities that they are making progress toward graduation and maintaining at least a cumulative 2.0 GPA.
Joining Cooley on the list are: Anthony Bennett (UNLV), Laurence Bowers (Missouri), Trey Burke (Michigan), Isaiah Canaan (Murray State), Michael Carter-Williams (Syracuse), Seth Curry (Duke), Jamaal Franklin (San Diego State), Erick Green (Virginia Tech), Elias Harris (Gonzaga), Pierre Jackson (Baylor), Sean Kilpatrick (Cincinnati), C.J. McCollum (Lehigh), Doug McDermott (Creighton), Ben McLemore (Kansas), Brandon Paul (Illinois), Mason Plumlee (Duke), Otto Porter, Jr. (Georgetown), Phil Pressey (Missouri), Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State), Russ Smith (Louisville), Deshaun Thomas (Ohio State), Jeff Withey (Kansas), Nate Wolters (South Dakota State) and Cody Zeller (Indiana).
The Wooden Award All American Team, consisting of the nation’s top 10 players, will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament. The John R. Wooden Award Player of the Year presented by Wendy’s will be announced on ESPN during the Final Four Weekend in Atlanta. The 2013 Wooden Award Gala presented by Wendy’s will take place April 11-13, 2013, at The Los Angeles Athletic Club. The Gala will honor the Men’s and Women’s Wooden Award winners, All Americans and the Legends of Coaching Award winner, Kansas Head Coach Bill Self.
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. 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 the weekend of the John R. Wooden Award Gala.