Jaxson Robinson on Watch List for Prestigious Wooden Award
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky’s Jaxson Robinson was one of 50 men’s college basketball players across the country named to the 2024-25 John R. Wooden Award Top 50 Preseason Watch List, the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced on Thursday.
The 50 selections, who are considered strong candidates for the 2025 John R. Wooden Award Men’s Player of the Year, were chosen by a preseason poll of national college basketball experts.
Robinson, who is in his first year with the Wildcats after transferring from Brigham Young University, has garnered plenty of preseason attention both nationally and within the Southeastern Conference. In addition to his inclusion on the Wooden watch list, the UK wing was also named to the Naismith Player of the Year Watch List and the Julius Erving Award Watch List. He was a preseason All-SEC Third Team selection by both the league’s coaches and media.
A standout at BYU, Robinson comes to Kentucky as the 2023-24 Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year after leading Mark Pope’s Cougars in scoring at 14.2 points per game. Robinson was the first bench player in BYU program history to pace the team in scoring and did so while shooting 42.6% from the field and 35.4% from beyond the 3-point arc, all career-bests.
Robinson reached double-digit scoring in 25 of 33 games played last season, connecting on 81 3-pointers. He had a notable performance in BYU’s NCAA Tournament games against Duquesne, tallying 25 points on 8-of-15 shooting to lead all scorers.
The 6-foot-6 wing scored eight points, grabbed five rebounds and added three assists in Kentucky’s season-opening victory over Wright State on Monday. Robinson knocked down a pair of 3-pointers in the contest, meaning the guard has now hit at least one shot from beyond the arc in 22 straight games dating back to last season.
As the 2024-25 college basketball season progresses, the Wooden Award will feature a midseason watch list, late season list and the national ballot. The national ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award. Nearly 1,000 voters will rank those players when voting opens prior to the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during Tournament early round games. The Wooden Award All American Team will be announced the week of the NCAA Tournament’s “Elite Eight”, before the winner of the 2025 John R. Wooden Award is presented at the Los Angeles Athletic Club in April.
Robinson and the Cats return to the court this Saturday when they face Bucknell inside Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. The game will tip at 4 p.m. and air on SEC Network+.
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s basketball team, follow @KentuckyMBB on X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and on the web at UKathletics.com.
