Jones III Named to Wooden Watch List
10/3/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 3, 2011
Complete Preseason Wooden Award Preseason List 
LOS ANGELES -Baylor men's basketball sophomore forward Perry Jones III is one of four Big 12 players named to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 list, the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced Monday. 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.
Jones III is joined on the list by three other Big 12 representatives - Marcus Denmon of Missouri, Khris Middleton of Texas A&M and Thomas Robinson of Kansas
After a freshman All-American season in 2010-11, Jones III returned to Waco for his sophomore season, spurning the opportunity to become an NBA lottery pick. The most heralded recruit in program history, PJ3 started a Baylor freshman-record 30 games last season, averaging 13.9 points and 7.2 rebounds in 33.9 minutes-per-game. He became the first player in program history to be named USBWA Freshman All-American, while also picking up Freshman All-American honors from Basketball Times and CollegeInsider.com.
He was named a second-team All-Big 12 and a unanimous Big 12 All-Rookie selection by the league's coaches. Despite having to sit out the first five games of the 2011-12 season to satisfy a six-game suspension from the NCAA, the Duncanville, Texas, product has been tabbed a preseason All-American by Sporting News (first team), Athlon (second team) and Blue Ribbon (second team), first-team All-Big 12 by three preseason publications and Big 12 Player of the Year by both Lindy's and Athlon.
Transfers, freshmen and medical redshirts are not eligible for the Preseason list. The players on the Preseason list are considered strong candidates for the Midseason list and the official voting ballot, both of which are open to freshmen and transfers. 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, consisting of the nation's top 10 players, will be announced the week of the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament.
For the first time, a school had four players chosen to the Preseason Top 50 when North Carolina returners Harrison Barnes, John Henson, Kendall Marshall and Tyler Zeller were selected. Ohio State (Jared Sullinger, William Buford and Aaron Craft) and Vanderbilt (Festus Ezeli, John Jenkins and Jeffery Taylor) had three players chosen. Five schools, all perennial top programs at the national level, had two players named to the Preseason List - California, Connecticut, Memphis, Syracuse, and UCLA.
Nineteen of the 50 players were from two conferences, the Big East (10) and Big Ten (nine). The SEC had seven players chosen, followed by the ACC, Big 12, and Pac-12 each with four; and the Atlantic 10, Big West and Conference USA with two each. Conferences with one player named included the Horizon League, Ivy League, MAAC, Missouri Valley, Mountain West and WCC.
The 36th annual Wooden Award ceremony marks the 25th anniversary of the selection of the Naval Academy's David Robinson as the Wooden Award winner. The 2012 event 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. It will take place the weekend of April 6-8, 2012.
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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), Candace Parker ('07 and '08) and Maya Moore of Connecticut ('09 and `11). BYU's Jimmer Fredette won the men's Award in 2011.
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 Ceremony.
Follow the candidates and get the latest news throughout the season by logging on to www.WoodenAward.com or going to the Wooden Award facebook page. For more information on the John R. Wooden Award, please contact the Wooden Award staff at 213-630-5206 or via email at woodenaward@laac.net.
