Jan. 22, 2014
LOS ANGELES – Kentucky freshman forward Julius Randle is among 25 players to earn recognition to the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 it was announced by the organization on Wednesday.
Randle leads Kentucky with 16.7 points per game and 10.6 rebounds per outing which ranks 10th nationally. He’s already registered 11 double-doubles on the season. The Dallas native has hauled in 190 rebounds which is seven more than former Wooden Award winner Anthony Davis had through 18 games during his freshman campaign. Davis holds the single-season freshman record for rebounds in a season at Kentucky with 415.
The Los Angeles Athletic Club announced its Midseason Top 25, chosen by the Wooden Award Advisory Board. The list comprises front runners for the player of the year award based on play thus far into the season.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the official voting ballot, which will consist 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. However, players not chosen to the midseason list are still eligible for the ballot. 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 38th annual Wooden Award ceremony will honor the Men’s and Women’s Wooden Award winners, and will include the presentation of the Wooden Award All American Teams and the Legends of Coaching Award. The event will take place the weekend of April 11-12, 2014.
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), and Davis in 2012.
Randle and the Wildcats return to the hardwood on Saturday, Jan. 25 for a 1:30 p.m. ET tip with Georgia. The game will air live on SEC TV.
