Wooden Award List Centers Power in East: Not surprisingly, the pre-season Wooden Award list has a distinctive East Coast flavor. The Big East leads all conferences with nine names on the list, while the ACC is second with eight. Lute Olson and other West Coast advocates cannot be too upset, however, because the Pac-10 received seven selections. Meanwhile, the SEC seems poised for another weak season, as it weighed in with only four names on the list – the same number as the Atlantic 10.
The list of 50 will be trimmed to 30 in mid-January. The All-American team will be announced March 28, and the award to the country’s best men’s college basketball player will be handed out April 8. Some of this year’s frontrunners include Duke’s J.J. Redick, Illinois’ Dee Brown, Texas’ Daniel Gibson, Connecticut’s Josh Boone and Boston College’s Craig Smith. Although they likely won’t receive national recognition unless their team’s pull off St. Joseph’s-like perfect regular seasons, Louisiana Tech’s Paul Millsap and La Salle’s Steven Smith – both on the pre-season list — are two of the best players you probably don’t know. Try to catch them in action this year if you get a chance.
[8/11/05]
