STORRS, Conn. – It was announced today by the Los Angeles Athletic Club that UConn stars Jeremy Lamb (Norcross, Ga.) have been named to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top-50. Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball.
Lamb and Oriakhi are two of 10 selections from the BIG EAST Conference. Connecticut was one of nine programs that had at least two players selected. North Carolina became the first program in the history of the award with four players selected to the preseason list. UConn’s Kemba Walker (’11) was a finalist for the award in 2011.
Oriakhi, a junior forward/center, averaged 9.6 points and led the Huskies with 8.7 rebounds and 1.63 blocks per game. A dominant force inside, Oriakhi finished the season with 11 double-doubles, including an 11-11 output against Butler in the National Championship. He also added four blocks in that contest. Oriakhi finished the year ranked second in rebounding and seventh in blocks in the BIG EAST Conference.
Lamb, a sophomore guard/forward, earned All-Rookie honors last season after averaging 11.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Lamb was sensational in UConn’s run to the NCAA Championship, averaging 16.2 points while shooting an incredible 58.1-percent from the field.
UConn will open the season with an exhibition against American International on Wednesday, November 2 at 7:30 p.m. in Gampel Pavilion. The Huskies will open the regular season against Columbia on ESPNU on Friday, November 11 in Gampel Pavilion beginning at 7 p.m.
To see the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top-50, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.
INFO ON THE 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), Candace Parker (’07 and ’08) and Maya Moore of Connecticut (’09 and `11). BYU’s Jimmer Fredette won the men’s Award in 2011.
2011-12 John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 List
| Name | Height | Class | Pos | University | Conference |
| Tim Abromaitis | 6-8 | GS | F | Notre Dame | Big East |
| Harrison Barnes | 6-8 | So. | F | North Carolina | ACC |
| Will Barton | 6-6 | So. | G | Memphis Conference | USA |
| Dee Bost | 6-2 | Sr. | G | Mississippi State | SEC |
| William Buford | 6-5 | Sr. | G | Ohio State | Big Ten |
| Allen Crabbe | 6-6 | So. | G | California | Pac-12 |
| Aaron Craft | 6-2 | So. | G | Ohio State | Big Ten |
| Marcus Denmon | 6-3 | Sr. | G | Missouri | Big 12 |
| Festus Ezeli | 6-11 | Sr. | C | Vanderbilt | SEC |
| Ashton Gibbs | 6-2 | Sr. | G | Pitt | Big East |
| Michael Glover | 6-7 | Sr. | F | Iona | MAAC |
| Drew Gordon | 6-9 | Sr. | F | New Mexico | Mountain West |
| Draymond Green | 6-7 | Sr. | F | Michigan State | Big Ten |
| JaMychal Green | 6-8 | Sr. | F | Alabama | SEC |
| Jorge Gutierrez | 6-3 | Sr. | G | California | Pac-12 |
| Tim Hardaway, Jr. | 6-5 | So. | G | Michigan | Big Ten |
| Elias Harris | 6-7 | Jr. | F | Gonzaga | WCC |
| John Henson | 6-11 | Jr. | F | North Carolina | ACC |
| Tu Holloway | 6-0 | Sr. | G | Xavier | Atlantic 10 |
| Robbie Hummel | 6-8 | Sr. | F | Purdue | Big Ten |
| Joe Jackson | 6-1 | So. | G | Memphis | Conference USA |
| Scoop Jardine | 6-2 | Sr. | G | Syracuse | Big East |
| John Jenkins | 6-3 | Jr. | G | Vanderbilt | SEC |
| Orlando Johnson | 6-5 | Sr. | G | UCSB | Big West |
| Darius Johnson-Odom | 6-2 | Sr. | G | Marquette | Big East |
| Kevin Jones | 6-8 | Sr. | F | West Virginia | Big East |
| Terrence Jones | 6-8 | So. | F | Kentucky | SEC |
| Perry Jones III | 6-11 | So. | F | Baylor | Big 12 |
| Kris Joseph | 6-7 | Sr. | F | Syracuse | Big East |
| Jeremy Lamb | 6-5 | So. | G | Connecticut | Big East |
| Kendall Marshall | 6-4 | So. | G | North Carolina | ACC |
| Trevor Mbakwe | 6-8 | Sr. | F | Minnesota | Big Ten |
| Ray McCallum | 6-1 | So. | G | Detroit | Horizon League |
| Doug McDermott | 6-7 | So. | F | Creighton | Missouri Valley |
| Khris Middleton | 6-7 | Jr. | F | Texas A&M | Big 12 |
| Reeves Nelson | 6-8 | Jr. | F | UCLA | Pac-12 |
| Andrew Nicholson | 6-9 | Sr. | F | St. Bonaventure | Atlantic 10 |
| Alex Oriakhi | 6-9 | Jr. | C | Connecticut | Big East |
| Thomas Robinson | 6-9 | Jr. | F | Kansas | Big 12 |
| John Shurna | 6-9 | Sr. | F | Northwestern | Big Ten |
| Peyton Siva | 6-0 | Jr. | G | Louisville | Big East |
| Joshua Smith | 6-10 | So. | C | UCLA | Pac-12 |
| Jared Sullinger* | 6-9 | So. | C | Ohio State | Big Ten |
| Jeffery Taylor | 6-7 | Sr. | G/F | Vanderbilt | SEC |
| Jordan Taylor | 6-1 | Sr. | G | Wisconsin | Big Ten |
| Casper Ware | 5-10 | Sr. | G | Long Beach State | Big West |
| Maalik Wayns | 6-2 | Jr. | G | Villanova | Big East |
| Keith Wright | 6-8 | Sr. | F | Harvard | Ivy League |
| Patric Young | 6-9 | So. | F/C | Florida | SEC |
| Tyler Zeller | 7-0 | Sr. | F | North Carolina | ACC |
Players listed alphabetically
*indicates player chosen to the 2011 Wooden All American Team; GS=Graduate Student
Based on a preseason poll. Award winner honored April 6, 2012 at The Los Angeles Athletic Club.
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