2012-13 NCAA Basketball Preseason Wooden Award List Released

The 2012-13 Preseason Wooden Award Candidates have been named and to no ones surprise the Indiana Hooisers seven-foot, sophomore forward Cody Zeller leads the list for the prestigious award.

Last season Zeller averaged 15.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 62% from the field in just his freshman year. According to many scouts Zeller could have been an NBA lottery draft pick last season had he decided to enter the 2012 draft however he made the decision to return to Indiana for a second season and the preseason honors have been raining on him. Last week Zeller was named a preseason All-American and now he is number one on the preseason list for the Wooden Award.

Along with Zeller towards the top of the list are fellow preseason All-Americans Doug McDermott of Creighton, C.J. McCollum of Lehigh and Isaiah Canaan of Murray State.

The list includes the names of the 50 players who are looked upon as the top players in college basketball excluding freshman and transfer students who are eligible to be added to it once the season begins. As a conference the Big 10 led all other conferences in the nation with nine players being selected to the list.The Louisville Cardinals have the most  players on the list with three as Peyton Siva, Gorgui Dieng and Chane Behanan are each amongst the 50 players.

The award named after legendary head coach John R. Wooden has been given out at the conclusion of each season to the nation’s top player since 1977 and is selected by members of the media from a list of players that have been established by the award’s national advisory board.