Jones III Named to Wooden Midseason List
1/17/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 17, 2012
LOS ANGELES -Baylor sophomore forward Perry Jones III was named to the 2011-12 John R. Wooden Award Midseason List, the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced Tuesday on ESPNU's The Experts sports talk show.
Selected by the Wooden Award National Advisory Board, the midseason list is made up of 25 student-athletes, who - based on their performances in November, December and the beginning of January - are the frontrunners for college basketball's most prestigious honor.
Jones III is joined on the list by two other Big 12 representatives - Missouri's Marcus Denmon and Kansas' Thomas Robinson. PJ3, the 2011-12 Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, is averaging a team-best 14.2 points and 7.5 rebounds in 13 games. He ranks third on the team in field goal percent (54.5), while averaging a team-high 31.2 minutes. A two-time Big 12 Player of the Week honoree, Jones III was a preseason All-Big 12 selection by the league's coaches and is the first player in program history to earn conference preseason Player of the Year honors.
All collegiate basketball players, including transfers, freshmen and medical redshirts, are eligible for the midseason list. In addition, all players will be evaluated and considered for 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 John R. Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced the week of the Elite Eight round of the 2012 NCAA tournament, making it unique among college postseason awards because it takes into account performance in the postseason.
The Big Ten, SEC, ACC and Big East conferences boast four selections apiece to the Midseason Top 25, followed by the Big 12 with three. The Missouri Valley Conference, Conference USA, MAAC, Big West, Mountain West and Big Sky each had one player selection.
The 36th annual Wooden Award Gala, will take place on Fri., April 6, 2012, and will honor winners, All Americans and the Legends of Coaching winner Geno Auriemma of Connecticut. The John R. Wooden Award winner will be announced the weekend of the Final Four in New Orleans, La.
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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 at http://www.facebook.com/WoodenAward. 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.
2011-12 John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 List
Harrison Barnes, F, North Carolina
Will Barton, G, Memphis
William Buford, G, Ohio State
Anthony Davis, F, Kentucky
Marcus Denmon, G, Missouri
Draymond Green, F, Michigan State
John Henson, F, North Carolina
John Jenkins, G, Vanderbilt
Orlando Johnson, G, UC Santa Barbara
Darius Johnson-Odom, G, Marquette
Kevin Jones, F, West Virginia
Perry Jones III, F, Baylor
Kris Joseph 6-7, F, Syracuse
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, F, Kentucky
Jeremy Lamb, G/F, UConn
Damian Lillard, G, Weber State
Scott Machado, G, Iona
Kendall Marshall, G, North Carolina
Doug McDermott, F, Creighton
Mike Moser, F, UNLV
Arnett Moultrie, F, Mississippi State
Thomas Robinson, F, Kansas
Mike Scott, F, Virginia
Jared Sullinger*, F, Ohio State
Cody Zeller, F, Indiana
*indicates player was 2011 Wooden Award All American
