Payton II Selected To Wooden Award Top 25
January 14, 2016 | Men's Basketball
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State senior men's basketball player Gary Payton II was selected to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25, which was announced on ESPNU and ESPN.com on Wednesday.
Payton II was selected to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 on Nov. 17, 2015 and made the first cut to the Midseason Top 25.
Chosen by a poll of national college basketball experts, the list is comprised of 25 student-athletes who are the frontrunners for the sport's most prestigious individual honor, based on their performances during the first half of the 2015-2016 season.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2016 John R. Wooden Award. 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. Every year, players have made the ballots that are not on the preseason or midseason lists. Voters are permitted to take into consideration the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament when casting the ballot. The ten-man Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament.
On the 2016 Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 list, five players not on the Preseason Top 50 were named to the Midseason Top 25: Ryan Anderson of Arizona, Kay Felder of Oakland, Damion Lee of Louisville, Wayne Selden, Jr. of Kansas, and Jarrod Uthoff of Iowa. The list includes colleges who have two players chosen: Gonzaga (Domantas Sabonis and Kyle Wiltjer), Kansas (Perry Ellis and Selden, Jr.), Kentucky (Jamal Murray and Tyler Ulis), and North Carolina (Brice Johnson and Marcus Paige). Two freshmen were named to the Midseason Top 25 list: Ben Simmons of LSU and Jamal Murray of Kentucky.
In terms of conferences, the ACC leads the way with five selections, followed by the Big 12 and Big Ten with four; the Pac-12 and SEC with three; The American and the WCC with two; and the Big East and Horizon with one selection each.
A native of Seattle, Wash., Payton II is the only player in the country averaging at least 17.0 points (17.1), 8.0 rebounds (8.3), 5.0 assists (5.4) and 2.5 steals (2.5). He leads the Pac-12 in steals (2.5, 15th in the nation) and is second in the conference in assists (5.4).
The 6-foot-3 point guard has four double-doubles this season and has led the Beavers to an 11-3 overall record, their best start through 14 games since his father, Hall of Famer Gary Payton, was a senior in 1989-90. GP2 broke his father's record earlier this season with a steal in 38 consecutive games.
About the John R. Wooden Award
The 40th annual presentation of the John R. Wooden Award will take place during the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show presented by Wendy's. Texas Tech Head Men's Basketball Coach, Tubby Smith, will be presented with the Legends of Coaching trophy during the show as well. The Wooden Award Weekend, April 7-9, 2016, will honor the male and female Wooden Award winners, the top 5 All Americans, and the Legends of Coaching recipient, Coach Tubby Smith.
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), Candace Parker ('07 and '08), Kevin Durant ('07), Maya Moore ('09 and '11), Trey Burke ('13) and Doug McDermott ('14). Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky won the 2015 John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy's.
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 the 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 Olympics athletes and the All Americans, takes place at the Los Angeles Athletic Club the weekend of the John R. Wooden Award presentation.
