Fredette Named to Wooden Award Preseason Top 50

Los Angeles (Oct. 4, 2010) — The Los Angeles Athletic Club announced today that BYU guard Jimmer Fredette has been named to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50. The list is comprised of 50 student-athletes who, based on last year’s individual performance and team records, are the early frontrunners for college basketball’s most prestigious honor.

Fredette is one of four seniors among the top 50 that has been included in past Wooden Award ballots along with Duke’s Kyle Singler (2009, 2010), Robbie Hummel of Purdue (2008, 2010) and Kalin Lucas of Michigan State (2009, 2010). Singler was the MVP of the 2010 Final Four, leading the Blue Devils to the NCAA title in averaging 17.7 points and 7.0 rebounds his junior season. Hummel was a 2008 and 2010 All-Big 10 selection and also two-time Academic All-Big 10 pick who averaged 15.7 points and 6.9 rebounds in 2010. Lucas is considered among the nation’s top point guards after leading the Spartans in scoring (14.8 ppg) and assists (4.0) during their Final Four campaign a year ago.

Fredette was BYU’s top scorer (22.1 ppg) and playmaker (4.7 ast) in 2010 and was an All-MWC player as a junior. He also earned several All-America honors and has been named a preseason All-American by Dick Vitale, Athlon Sports, Sporting News and the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook.

The last Cougar that was named to the Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 was Lee Cummard prior to the 2008-09 season.

Transfers, freshmen and medical redshirts are not eligible for the preseason list. These players and others who excel throughout the season will be evaluated and considered for December’s Midseason list and 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.

Purdue (Hummel, JaJuan Johnson, E’Twaun Moore) was the only school with three players named to the Wooden Award preseason Top 50. Five schools had two players chosen to the list: Colorado (Alec Burks, Cory Higgins); Duke (Singler, Nolan Smith); Gonzaga (Steven Gray, Elias Harris); Michigan State (Lucas, Durrell Summers); Syracuse (Kris Joseph, Brandon Triche).

Eleven conferences are represented on the Wooden Award Preseason List. Leading the way is the Big 10 (10), followed by the ACC (8), Big East (7), SEC (3), Big 12 (7), Pac-10 (6), Atlantic 10 (3), Mountain West (2), West Coast (2); and Conference USA, and the Horizon League with one apiece. 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.

About the John R. Wooden Award

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.