University of North Carolina Athletics
Henson On Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 List
October 5, 2010 | Men's Basketball
Oct. 5, 2010
CHAPEL HILL - University of North Carolina sophomore forward John Henson is among 50 players on the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 list, announced on Monday by The Los Angeles Athletic Club. The list is comprised of 50 student-athletes who, based on last year's individual performance and team records, are the early frontrunners for college basketball's most prestigious honor.
Henson was fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference in blocked shots with 60 as a freshman last season. He averaged 9.4 points per game in the final 16 contests last year after the season-ending injury to former starter Ed Davis. Henson averaged 9.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in UNC's five NIT games.
Other ACC players on the list include Virginia Tech senior guard Malcolm Delaney, Duke senior forward Kyle Singler, Florida State junior forward Chris Singleton, Duke senior guard Nolan Smith, NC State senior forward Tracy Smith, Boston College senior forward Joe Trapani and Maryland sophomore forward Jordan Williams.
Transfers, freshmen and medical redshirts are not eligible for the preseason list. These players and others who excel throughout the season will be evaluated and considered for December's Midseason list and the official voting ballot released in March. The National Ballot consists of approximately 20 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. The Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced the week of the "Elite Eight" round during the NCAA Tournament.
Eleven conferences are represented on the Wooden Award Preseason List. Leading the way is the Big 10 (10), followed by the ACC (8), Big East (7), SEC (3), Big 12 (7), Pac-10 (6), Atlantic 10 (3), Mountain West (2), West Coast (2); and Conference USA, and the Horizon League with one apiece.
The 35th annual Wooden Award ceremony, which will include the announcement of the Men's and Women's Wooden Award winners, a special tribute to Coach Wooden and Wooden Award founder Duke Llewellyn, and the presentation of the Wooden Award All American Teams and the Legends of Coaching Award, will take place the weekend of April 8-10, 2011.
