Three Kentucky players named to Preseason Top 50 for Wooden Award
University of Kentucky freshmen Bam Adebayo, De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk were among 50 players named Tuesday to the Preseason Top 50 list for the John Wooden R. Award.
The Wooden Award is presented annually to college basketball’s player of the year. A Wooden All-America Team is also named every postseason. The selections for the Preseason Top 50 were made through a polling of national college basketball experts.
The three UK players were among 11 freshmen honored, a list that also included Harry Giles and Jayson Tatum of Duke, Jarrett Allen of Texas, Miles Bridges of Michigan State, Markelle Fultz of Washington, Josh Jackson of Kansas, Lauri Markkanen of Arizona and Dennis Smith Jr. of North Carolina State.
Joining Kentucky with three players on the list were Duke (Grayson Allen, Giles, Tatum), Kansas (Devonte Graham, Frank Mason III, Jackson) and Oregon (Chris Boucher, Dillon Brooks, Tyler Dorsey). Indiana, North Carolina, Villanova, Virginia, and Xavier each have two players on the Preseason Top 50.
Players not chosen to the preseason list are eligible for the Wooden Award midseason list, late season list and the national ballot. The winner of the 2017 John R. Wooden Award will be announced during the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show on April 7, 2017.
John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50
Name | School | Conference | Height | Class | Position |
Jaylen Adams | St. Bonaventure | Atlantic 10 | 6-5 | Jr. | G |
Edrice Adebayo | Kentucky | SEC | 6-10 | Fr. | F |
Grayson Allen | Duke | ACC | 6-5 | Jr. | G |
Jarrett Allen | Texas | Big 12 | 6-11 | Fr. | F |
Dwayne Bacon | Florida State | ACC | 6-7 | So. | G |
Lonzo Ball | UCLA | Pac-12 | 6-6 | Fr. | G |
V.J. Beachem | Notre Dame | ACC | 6-8 | Sr. | F |
Joel Berry II | North Carolina | ACC | 6-0 | Jr. | G |
James Blackmon Jr. | Indiana | Big Ten | 6-4 | Jr. | G |
Antonio Blakeney | LSU | SEC | 6-4 | So. | G |
Jaron Blossomgame | Clemson | ACC | 6-7 | Sr. | F |
Trevon Bluiett | Xavier | Big East | 6-6 | Jr. | G |
Chris Boucher | Oregon | Pac-12 | 6-10 | Sr. | F |
Miles Bridges | Michigan State | Big Ten | 6-7 | Fr. | G/F |
Dillon Brooks | Oregon | Pac-12 | 6-7 | Jr. | F |
Thomas Bryant | Indiana | Big Ten | 6-10 | So. | C |
Tyler Dorsey | Oregon | Pac-12 | 6-4 | So. | G |
Jawun Evans | Oklahoma State | Big 12 | 6-1 | So. | G |
De'Aaron Fox | Kentucky | SEC | 6-3 | Fr. | G |
Markelle Fultz | Washington | Pac-12 | 6-4 | Fr. | G |
Jack Gibbs | Davidson | Atlantic 10 | 6-0 | Sr. | G |
Harry Giles | Duke | ACC | 6-10 | Fr. | F |
Devonte Graham | Kansas | Big 12 | 6-2 | Jr. | G |
Ethan Happ | Wisconsin | Big Ten | 6-10 | So. | F |
Josh Hart | Villanova | Big East | 6-5 | Sr. | G |
Nigel Hayes | Wisconsin | Big Ten | 6-8 | Sr. | F |
Malcolm Hill | Illinois | Big Ten | 6-6 | Sr. | G |
Josh Jackson | Kansas | Big 12 | 6-8 | Fr. | G |
Justin Jackson | North Carolina | ACC | 6-8 | Jr. | F/G |
Kris Jenkins | Villanova | Big East | 6-6 | Sr. | F |
Peter Jok | Iowa | Big Ten | 6-6 | Sr. | G |
Moses Kingsley | Arkansas | SEC | 6-10 | Sr. | F |
Bronson Koenig | Wisconsin | Big Ten | 6-3 | Sr. | G |
Dedric Lawson | Memphis | The American | 6-9 | So. | G/F |
Tyler Lydon | Syracuse | ACC | 6-9 | So. | F |
Lauri Markkanen | Arizona | Pac-12 | 7-0 | Fr. | F |
Frank Mason III | Kansas | Big 12 | 5-11 | Sr. | G |
Malik Monk | Kentucky | SEC | 6-3 | Fr. | G |
Monte Morris | Iowa State | Big 12 | 6-3 | Sr. | G |
Austin Nichols | Virginia | ACC | 6-9 | Jr. | F |
London Perrantes | Virginia | ACC | 6-2 | Sr. | G |
Alec Peters | Valparaiso | Horizon League | 6-9 | Sr. | F |
Ivan Rabb | California | Pac-12 | 6-11 | So. | F |
Dennis Smith Jr. | NC State | ACC | 6-3 | Fr. | G |
Edmond Sumner | Xavier | Big East | 6-6 | So. | G |
Caleb Swanigan | Purdue | Big Ten | 6-9 | So. | F |
Jayson Tatum | Duke | ACC | 6-8 | Fr. | F |
Melo Trimble | Maryland | Big Ten | 6-3 | Jr. | G |
Maurice Watson Jr | Creighton | Big East | 5-10 | Sr. | G |
Nigel Williams-Goss | Gonzaga | WCC | 6-3 | Jr. | G |
This story was originally published November 15, 2016 at 1:47 PM with the headline "Three Kentucky players named to Preseason Top 50 for Wooden Award."