Tag: Wooden Award

Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo on Wooden Award Midseason Watch List

Another honor for the freshman.

Notre Dame’s [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] continues to show what she’s made of, which is something very special. In fact, she’s so special that she’s starting to get national attention as a freshman. That includes consideration for the Wooden Award, given to the national player of the year. Yes, Hidalgo has made the award’s midseason watch list.

Hidalgo is one of three freshmen on the 25-player list, the others being USC’s JuJu Watkins and LSU’s Mikaylah Williams. Any of them winning it would mean only the second freshman to win the award since it first was given in 2004. Paige Bueckers of UConn won it in 2021.

Defending award winner Caitlin Clark of Iowa also is on the list and figures to at least be in the running until the very end. Four other ACC players were named to the list, too. Needless to say, Hidalgo faces some stiff competition, but it’s great that she’s gotten this far.

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LSU women’s basketball leads nation with four players on Wooden Award watch list

LSU suffered a tough early defeat, but it still boasts what could be the most talented roster in women’s college basketball.

LSU’s women’s basketball team may have suffered a disappointing loss to a ranked opponent in Colorado to begin the year, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a roster in the country that’s more talented.

That talent is evidenced by the fact that the Tigers lead the nation with four players named to the watch list for the Wooden Award, which is given to the top player in the nation.

[autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag] and [autotag]Flau’Jae Johnson[/autotag], as well as transfer additions [autotag]Hailey Van Lith[/autotag] and [autotag]Aneesah Morrow[/autotag] all made the cut. The watch list is not definitive and could take later additions, meaning freshman [autotag]Mikaylah Williams[/autotag] could become a candidate if she delivers more performances like she did in a 42-point outing in the win over Kent State on Tuesday.

With a roster this talented, the Tigers remain in the top 10 and look like a strong candidate to repeat as national champions once this team starts to gel together.

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USC’s Isaiah Collier identified as top-tier contender for 2024 Wooden Award

Another sign of how elite Isaiah Collier is: The freshman is a top contender for the award given to the best player in college hoops.

After a recent USC basketball practice, Trojan coaches couldn’t say enough good things about the No. 1 recruit in the country in the 2023 cycle, Isaiah Collier.

We wrote:

“A few Trojan assistants spoke about the talent Collier brings to the team, beginning with Jay Morris.

“’Very tough, he has the measurables,’ Morris said. ‘I think he’s a player that you put on the court day one and let him do what he does.’

“Chris Capko, another USC assistant, raved about Collier and his old-school style.

“’A lot of people like playing with Isaiah. Isaiah is an old-school point guard in terms of pass-first, get others involved,’ Capko said.

“Assistant coach Eric Mobley weighed in. He has been impressed with one specific part of Collier’s game — his passing. ‘His passing ability is off the chart. His ability to see the floor and paint the picture,’ Mobley said.”

This guy is the real meal deal. Now, there are Wooden Award preseason projections to back it up.

Shotgun Spratling of USC’s 247Sports site has noted that Collier is one of 10 top contenders for the award given to the best player in college basketball.

Here are the 10 candidates, with an attached note about an upcoming showcase for Collier and USC:

Brandon Miller rises to No. 2 in recent 2023 NBA mock draft

Brandon Miller expected to go No. 2 overall to the Houston Rockets in updated NBA mock draft

Even though Brandon Miller didn’t win the John R. Wooden Award, he was arguably the best player in college basketball this past season. The 6-foot-9 freshman for the Crimson Tide averaged a monster stat line of 18.8 PPG, 8.2 RPG and 2.1 APG en route to a sweet sixteen experience.

The Tide claimed both the SEC regular season and postseason titles for the second time in three years under head coach Nate Oats, with Miller being a large part of that. After an incredibly successful one-year collegiate career, Miller is off to the NBA draft and his projection has never been higher.

Due to the NBA lottery, we don’t know exactly which team will have what pick yet, but ESPN projects that Miller will go No. 2 overall to the Houston Rockets. Scoot Henderson of the G League Ignite has battled with Miller to be the consensus No. 2 in this class for some time as Victor Wembanyama of France is a pretty clear-cut No. 1 overall

Hopefully, Miller ends up in a franchise that will give him the infrastructure to succeed at the professional level because he is an ultra-rare talent.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Brandon Miller as he prepares for the 2023 NBA draft.

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Jalen Pickett named Wooden Award All-American

Jalen Pickett made more Penn State basketball history with his latest All-American honor

On the day Penn State officially introduced new men’s basketball coach Mike Rhoades to the public, one of the greatest players to come through the program received yet another All-American honor. [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] was named to the Wooden Award All-American team on Thursday. Pickett is the first player in program history to receive that distinction.

Pickett’s latest All-American honor is the latest in a string of All-American honors that includes being a consensus all-American with the AP, NABC, USBWA, and Sporting News. CBS Sports also included Pickett on its all-American roster as well.

Pickett was one of three Big Ten players appearing on the Wooden Award All-American team. He was joined by Purdue’s Zach Edey and Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis. No other conference had more than two players on the list; the SEC had two with Alabama’s Brandon Miller and Kentucky’s Oscar Tubelis and the Pac-12 had Jaime Jauez Jr. of UCLA and Azuolas Tubelis of Arizona.

Pickett averaged 17.7 points per game with 7.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game. He was the MVP of a Penn State team that went on a memorable run to an appearance in the Big Ten championship game, taking Purdue down to the wire, and advanced to the first NCAA tournament for the program since 2011 and winning its first tournament game since 2001.

2023 John R. Wooden Award All-America Team

  • Zach Edey – Purdue
  • Trayce Jackson-Davis – Indiana
  • Jaime Jaquez Jr. – UCLA
  • Brandon Miller – Alabama
  • Jalen Pickett – Penn State
  • Marcus Sasser – Houston
  • Drew Timme – Gonzaga
  • Oscar Tshiebwe – Kentucky
  • Azuolas Tubelis – Arizona
  • Jalen Wilson – Kansas

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Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles is finalist for Wooden Award

There was one piece of good news for the point guard Saturday.

While Notre Dame waits on [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag]’ availability for the NCAA Tournament, some good news for the injured point guard has dropped. Miles has been named one of 15 finalists for the Wooden Award, which is given to the best player in the country.

A Miles win would be the first for a Notre Dame player since the women’s category for the award was established in 2004. She also is a finalist for the Lieberman Award, which is award to the country’s best point guard.

Miles is one of four ACC players to make the final list. The others are ACC Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley of Virginia Tech, conference leading scorer Ta’Niya Latson of Florida State and Louisville’s Hailey Van Lith. Also making the cut is defending winner Aliyah Boston of South Carolina, who is trying to become the seventh repeat winner of the award.

Miles is up against some stiff competition for the award, but the fact that she’s even gotten this far is awesome to see.

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Jalen Pickett among 15 Wooden Award Finalists

Here is a look at all 15 finalists for this season’s Wooden Award in men’s college basketball.

Penn State senior guard [autotag]Jalen Pickett[/autotag] is having one of the best seasons in program history.

During a victory against Illinois, he set the Bryce Jordan Center record for most points in a game with 41. He set the all-time single-season record for most assists in a season, breaking Tim Frazier’s record of 198. Pickett also will set the most assists per game record and surpassed 2,000 career points.

It’s been a phenomenal season for the senior out of Rochester, NY.

Head coach, [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag], has been pounding the table for more eyes across the country to notice how well Pickett has been playing this year.

It seems like that message got through because Pickett is one of the 15 finalists for the Wooden Award. This award, named after legendary coach [autotag]John Wooden[/autotag], goes to the Player of the Year in both men’s and women’s basketball.

The award is voted on by 1,000 sports writers and media professionals across the country. The top 10 will be named All-Americans, with the player receiving the most votes winning the Wooden Award.

It’s a highly coveted award that some of the biggest names in the sports have won. The first award was given to [autotag]Marques Johnson[/autotag] of UCLA in the 1976-77 season.

Here are the 15 finalists for 2022-23.

Brandon Miller named to Midseason Wooden Award Watch List

Brandon Miller’s outstanding play has landed him on the midseason Wooden Award watch list!

The Alabama Crimson Tide have been incredible out of the gate starting the season 12-2 with a handful of top-10 wins already. A large reason for that success is five-star true freshman [autotag]Brandon Miller[/autotag].

Coming out of high school, Miller was the No. 5 small forward in the country and the No. 14 player overall. Upon his arrival in Tuscaloosa, Miller has been nothing short of the best player for the Tide this season averaging 19 points, eight rebounds and two assists through his first 14 collegiate games.

For his outstanding efforts to start the Tide’s 2022-2023 campaign, Miller has been named to the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 watch list. The Wooden Award is given out annually to the most outstanding men’s and women’s college basketball players.

If Miller continues to carry the Tide and push for a No. 1 seed come March, he will have a very legitimate case!

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Deja Kelly named to Wooden Award preseason watch list

North Carolina women’s basketball guard Deja Kelly adds another award to her watch list as UNC hopes to compete for a National title.

The North Carolina women’s basketball season is already off to a strong start, and it just got much sweeter for junior guard [autotag]Deja Kelly[/autotag] as it was announced she was named to the Wooden Award preseason watch list.

Kelly is a focal point of North Carolina’s offense and pivotal to the national championship puzzle they are looking to create. The Wooden Award is a prestigious honor given to the male and female players of the year. The most recent winners are Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe and South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston.

This is one of many awards Kelly has been watched for. She is on the watch list for the Nancy Lieberman Award and the Naismith Trophy. Kelly is averaging 9.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists.

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Iowa Hawkeyes’ Keegan Murray named Wooden Award finalist

Iowa sophomore forward Keegan Murray was named a finalist for the Wooden Award.

The recognition keeps on rolling in for Iowa sophomore [autotag]Keegan Murray[/autotag]. The 6-foot-8, 225 pound forward was named one of five finalists for the John R. Wooden Award.

Murray joins Kansas junior guard Ochai Agbaji, Wisconsin guard Johnny Davis, Gonzaga forward Drew Timme and Kentucky forward Oscar Tshiebwe as finalists. All five players have been invited to Los Angeles for the 46th annual presentation of the award.

With Murray announced as a Wooden Award finalist, it marks the third consecutive season that Iowa has had a finalist for the award. Murray joins Luka Garza (2020 and 2021) in that distinction.

Murray averaged 23.5 points per game this season, which ranked fourth nationally and was tops among power-five players. He finished second-best among Big Ten players, averaging 8.7 rebounds per game. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native also averaged 1.9 blocks, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game. In fact, Murray joined Kevin Durant as just the second Division I player in history to total more than 800 points, 60 blocks and 60 made 3-pointers in a single season.

Murray finished the 2021-22 season with 822 points, 303 rebounds, 68 blocks, 66 made 3-point field goals, 52 assists and 45 steals during the campaign. He also joined North Carolina’s Antawn Jamison as the first player since 1998 to shoot 55% or better while scoring more than 800 points and grabbing more than 300 rebounds.

Murray shot 55.4% from the field and 39.8% from 3-point range. He declared for the NBA draft earlier this week and he is considered a potential lottery pick. In addition the Wooden Award, Murray is also a finalist for the following national awards: the Naismith Trophy, the Lute Olson National Player of the Year, the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year and the Lefty Driesell Defensive Player of the Year.

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