Purdue star center Zach Edey was among the five finalists for the Wooden Award and the 10 All-Americans who were announced Thursday.
Joining Edey on the Wooden list were Gonzaga center Drew Timme, Indiana center Trayce Jackson-Davis, Kansas forward Jalen Wilson and Houston guard Marcus Sasser, who announced Thursday he would enter the NBA draft.
The Wooden Award, which will be announced April 7, is given to the best men’s and women’s college basketball players in the country.
The Wooden Award also released a 10-player All-American team, including the five finalists along with reigning Wooden Award winner Oscar Tshiebwe of Kentucky, UCLA’s Jamie Jaquez Jr., Alabama’s Brandon Miller, Penn State’s Jalen Pickett and Arizona’s Azuolas Tubelis.
Tshiebwe and Timme were the only players named to back-to-back All-American teams.
Tshiebwe likely won’t repeat as the Wooden winner but led the nation in rebounds (13.7 rpg) while scoring 16.5 points and shooting 56 percent from the field.
Edey (22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, 2.1 blocks per game) had a dominant season for Purdue, the Big Ten regular-season and tournament champion, and was the likely frontrunner, but Jackson-Davis (20.9 points, 10.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.9 blocks per game) closed the gap as the regular season drew to a close.
The men’s Wooden Award has been presented since 1977, when UCLA’s Marques Johnson was the first recipient.
–Field Level Media