Wooden Award Top 20 List Announced

The 2019 John Wooden Award recognizes the top player in collegiate basketball. Past winners include Frank Mason (2017, Kansas), Doug McDermott (2014, Creighton), Jimmer Fredette (2011, BYU). The winner of this prestigious award will be announced on April 12 during the ESPN College Basketball Award Show.

Here are the 2018-2019 nominees:

Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Virginia Tech

Cassius Winston, Michigan State

Grant Williams, Tennessee

Admiral Schofield, Tennessee

RJ Barrett, Duke

Zion Williamson, Duke

Jordan Caroline, Nevada

Caleb Martin, Nevada

Kyle Guy, Virginia

Ethan Happ, Wisconsin

Markus Howard, Marquette

Ignas Brazdeikis, Michigan

Mike Daum, South Dakota State

Carsen Edwards, Purdue

Jarrett Culver, Texas tech

Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga

Dedric Lawson, Kansas

Ja Morant, Murray State

Shamorie Ponds, St. John’s

De’Andre Hunter, Virginia

Gonzaga fans knew Rui Hachimura (20.4 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 606 FG%) was going to be on this list but Brandon Clarke (16.4 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 3.0 BPG) was nowhere to be seen. He can still be nominated to be a top 15 finalist in early March but that seems highly unlikely if he wasn’t on this list. Clarke would have to have to put on quite the show in the month of February in order to be considered.

Keldon Johnson (Kentucky), Romeo Langford (Indiana), Luke Maye (North Carolina), Jordan Murphy (Minnesota), James Palmer Jr. (Nebraska), and Myles Powell (Seton Hall) were taken off from the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 list announced in early January. Kyle Guy (Virginia) was the only player added to the new top 20 list that wasn’t on the previous top 25 list.

*Arden Cravalho is a senior at Gonzaga University... Follow him on Twitter @a_cravalho