Los Angeles- The John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 list was announced today by The Los Angeles Athletic Club.  The list is comprised of 50 student-athletes who, based on last year's individual performance and team records, are the early frontrunners for college basketball's most prestigious honor. The Women's Preseason list will be released later this week.

Returning players from past Wooden Award ballots include four seniors: Duke's Kyle Singler (2009, 2010), Robbie Hummel of Purdue (2008, 2010), Kalin Lucas of Michigan State (2009, 2010) and BYU's Jimmer Fredette (2010). Singler was the MVP of the 2010 Final Four, leading the Blue Devils to the NCAA title in averaging 17.7 points and 7.0 rebounds his junior season. Hummel was a 2008 and 2010 All-Big 10 selection, and also a two-time Academic All-Big 10 pick who averaged 15.7 points and 6.9 rebounds in 2010. Lucas is considered among the nation's top point guards after leading the Spartans in scoring (14.8 ppg) and assists (4.0 ast) during their Final Four campaign a year ago. Fredette was his team's top scorer (22.1 ppg) and playmaker (4.7 ast) and was an All-MWC player as a junior.

Transfers, freshmen and medical redshirts are not eligible for the preseason
list. These players and others who excel throughout the season will be
evaluated and considered for December's Midseason list and 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 Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced
the week of the "Elite Eight" round during the NCAA Tournament.

Purdue (Hummel, JaJuan Johnson, E'Twaun Moore) was the only school with
three players named to the Wooden Award preseason Top 50. Five schools had
two players chosen to the list: Colorado (Alec Burks, Cory Higgins); Duke
(Singler, Nolan Smith); Gonzaga (Steven Gray, Elias Harris); Michigan State
(Lucas, Durrell Summers); Syracuse (Kris Joseph, Brandon Triche).

Eleven conferences are represented on the Wooden Award Preseason List.
Leading the way is the Big 10 (10), followed by the ACC (8), Big East (7),
SEC (3), Big 12 (7), Pac-10 (6), Atlantic 10 (3), Mountain West (2), West
Coast (2); and Conference USA, and the Horizon League with one apiece.

The 35th annual Wooden Award ceremony, which will include the announcement
of the Men's and Women's Wooden Award winners, a special tribute to Coach
Wooden and Wooden Award founder Duke Llewellyn, and the presentation of the
Wooden Award All American Teams and the Legends of Coaching Award, will take
place the weekend of April 8-10, 2011.
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), Blake
Griffin ('09) and Maya Moore of Connecticut ('09). Ohio State's Evan Turner and Connecticut's Tina Charles won the Award in 2010.

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 on the Friday prior to the John R. Wooden Award Ceremony.

Follow the candidates and get the latest news throughout the season by
logging on to www.WoodenAward.com.  For more information on the John R.
Wooden Award, please contact the Wooden Award staff at 213-630-5206 or email at woodenaward@laac.net.

2010-11 John R. Wooden Award
Preseason Top 50 List

Name    Height  Class   Position        University      Conference
Ty Abbott       6-3     Sr.     G       Arizona State   Pac-10
Lavoy Allen     6-9     Sr.     F       Temple  Atlantic 10
Kevin Anderson  6-0     Sr.     G       Richmond        Atlantic 10
Talor Battle    6-0     Sr.     G       Penn State      Big Ten
Kenny Boynton   6-2     So.     G       Florida SEC
William Buford  6-5     Jr.     G       Ohio State      Big Ten
Alec Burks      6-6     So.     G       Colorado        Big 12
Randy Culpepper 6-0     Sr.     G       UTEP    Conference USA
Malcolm Delaney 6-3     Sr.     G       Virginia Tech   ACC
LaceDarius Dunn 6-4     Sr.     G       Baylor  Big 12
Kim English     6-6     Jr.     G       Missouri        Big 12
Corey Fisher    6-1     Sr.     G       Villanova       Big East
Jimmer Fredette*        6-2     Sr.     G       Brigham Young   Mountain
West
Austin Freeman  6-4     Sr.     G       Georgetown      Big East
Ashton Gibbs    6-2     Jr.     G       Pittsburgh      Big East
Steven Gray     6-5     Sr.     G       Gonzaga West Coast
Jordan Hamilton 6-7     So.     G/F     Texas   Big 12
Elias Harris    6-7     So.     F       Gonzaga West Coast
Jeremy Hazell   6-5     Sr.     G       Seton Hall      Big East
John Henson     6-10    So.     F       North Carolina  ACC
Cory Higgins    6-5     Sr.     G       Colorado        Big 12
Tyler Honeycutt 6-8     So.     F       UCLA    Pac-10
Robbie Hummel*  6-8     Sr.     F       Purdue  Big Ten
JaJuan Johnson  6-10    Sr.     F/C     Purdue  Big Ten
Kris Joseph     6-7     Jr.     F       Syracuse        Big East
Kawhi Leonard   6-7     So.     F       San Diego State Mountain West
Jon Leuer       6-10    Sr.     F       Wisconsin       Big Ten
Kalin Lucas*    6-1     Sr.     F       Michigan State  Big Ten
Shelvin Mack    6-3     Jr.     G       Butler  Horizon League
Demetri McCamey 6-3     Sr.     G       Illinois        Big Ten
E'Twaun Moore   6-4     Sr.     G       Purdue  Big Ten
Marcus Morris   6-9     Jr.     F       Kansas  Big 12
Jacob Pullen    6-0     Sr.     G       Kansas State    Big 12
John Shurna     6-8     Jr.     F       Northwestern    Big Ten
Kyle Singler*   6-8     Sr.     F       Duke    ACC
Chris Singleton 6-9     Jr.     F       Florida State   ACC
Nolan Smith     6-2     Sr.     G       Duke    ACC
Tracy Smith     6-8     Sr.     F       North Carolina State    ACC
Durrell Summers 6-5     Sr.     G       Michigan State  Big Ten
Jeffery Taylor  6-7     Jr.     G/F     Vanderbilt      SEC
Isaiah Thomas   5-9     Jr.     G       Washington      Pac-10
Trey Thompkins  6-10    Jr.     F       Georgia SEC
Klay Thompson   6-6     Jr.     G       Washington State        Pac-10
Joe Trapani     6-8     Sr.     F       Boston College  ACC
Brandon Triche  6-4     So.     G       Syracuse        Big East
Nikola Vucevic  6-10    Jr.     F       USC     Pac-10
Kemba Walker    6-1     Jr.     G       Connecticut     Big East
Derrick Williams        6-8     So.     F       Arizona Pac-10
Jordan Williams 6-10    So.     F       Maryland        ACC
Chris Wright    6-8     Sr.     F       Dayton  Atlantic 10
(Based on a preseason poll. Players listed alphabetically.)
*indicates player chosen to the 2010 Wooden Award ballot