Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Duke, Kansas, Maryland place two apiece on Wooden Late Season List
Duke, Kansas and Maryland each placed two players on the Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 Watch List.
Duke’s Vernon Carey Jr. and Tre Jones, Kansas’ Udoka Azubuike and Devon Dotson, and Maryland’s Anthony Cowan Jr. and Jalen Smith all made the list. The Big Ten leads all conferences with six selections; followed by the ACC, Big 12, and Big East with three each; and the A-10, Mountain West, Pac-12, SEC, and WCC with one selection apiece.
The full list is at the bottom of this post.
Two players make their debut on the Wooden Watch after not being named on the Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 or Midseason Top 25: Jared Butler (Baylor) and Daniel Oturu (Minnesota). Preseason Top 50 nominee Jalen Smith of Maryland returns to the Wooden Watch after not appearing on the Midseason Top 25.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2020
John R. Wooden Award Men’s Player of the Year presented by Wendy’s.
Players not appearing on this list are still eligible for the National
Ballot, which will be announced in early March. The National Ballot
consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that
they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award. Nearly 1,000
voters will rank in order 10 of those 15 players when voting opens
prior to the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into
consideration performance during early round games. The Wooden Award All
American Team™ will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of
the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2020 John R. Wooden Award will
be presented by Wendy’s during the ESPN College Basketball Awards on
Friday, April 10, 2020.
John R. Wooden Award Presented By Wendy’s2019-20 Men’s Late Season Top 20 Watch List
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
