American Conference/Ben Solomon

Men's Basketball

Hamilton, Moore Among Wooden Midseason Top 25

The John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy’s announced its Midseason Top 25 on Jan. 13, and The American has two players on the list in UConn’s Daniel Hamilton and SMU’s Nic Moore. Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. The two players were named to the Preseason Top 50 list on Nov. 17.

Hamilton, a 6-7 guard/forward, leads the Huskies in rebounding (8.5), assists (5.1), and steals (1.1) and is third on the team in scoring (12.9). He leads the American Athletic Conference in assists and defensive rebounds. 

Moore leads SMU in scoring (15.4) and assists (5.2) and ranks fourth and first in The American in the same categories, respectively. The redshirt senior was named to the Naismith Trophy Player and USBWA Oscar Robertson Trophy watch lists.

The leading candidates will be further pared to 20 top players in early February. Fifteen 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 will be submitted to the voters on the ballot prior to the NCAA Tournament.

The 40th annual presentation of the John R. Wooden Award will be the anchor presentation of the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show presented by Wendy’s. The men’s and women’s Wooden All-American Teams will be honored during the ceremony, as well as the 2016 Legends of Coaching Award, which will be presented to Tubby Smith, Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Texas Tech. The event will take place the weekend of April 7-9, 2016.
 
Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award program features the most prestigious individual honors in college basketball. The Wooden Award Trophy 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 while maintaining a minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA. The unique Wooden Award trophy is presented to a man and woman each year. Previous winners include such notables as Larry Bird (‘79), Michael Jordan (‘84), Tim Duncan (‘97), Candace Parker (‘07 and ‘08), Kevin Durant (‘09), Maya Moore (‘09 and ‘11), Trey Burke (‘13) and Doug McDermott (‘14). Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky won the 2015 Wooden Award presented by Wendy’s and Breanna Stewart of Connecticut won the 2015 Wooden Award.
 
Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed close to a million dollars to the general scholarship fund of the honoree’s University in the name of the All-American recipient. The Award has also enabled more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long basketball camps in the Award’s name. Additionally, the John R. Wooden Award partners with the Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) each year to host the Wooden Award Special Olympics Southern California Basketball Tournament. The day-long tournament takes place at the Los Angeles Athletic Club the weekend of the John R. Wooden Award presentation, and brings together Special Olympics athletes and the Wooden Award All-Americans.

CLICK HERE for the complete Midseason Top 25