LeVert Selected To Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 List
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- University of Michigan men's basketball senior guard Caris LeVert was named to the 2016 John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 list as announced Wednesday by the Los Angeles Athletic Club and ESPN.
LeVert is one of four Big Ten players on the list for college basketball's top postseason award. He is joined by Maryland's Melo Trimble, Iowa's Jarrod Uthoff and Michigan State's Denzel Valentine.
Despite missing the last three games with a lower left leg injury, LeVert still leads U-M in scoring (17.6) and assists (5.2). He has started 14 games and recorded 13 double figures with four 20-plus point games. He became the 49th Wolverine to score 1,000 career points and currently sits 43rd all-time with 1,070 points. He has highlighted this season recording just the fourth triple-double in program history with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Northern Kentucky (Dec. 15).
During his time at Michigan, LeVert has compiled an 88-37 career record. As a freshman, he helped U-M reach the Final Four and national title game. The following year, he guided the Wolverines to their first outright Big Ten title since 1986 as well as a second straight appearance in the NCAA Elite Eight.
The Wooden Award National Advisory Board will select 20 candidates in early February and ultimately 15 top players, who have proven to their universities that they are also making progress toward graduation and maintaining at least a cumulative 2.0 grade-point average, will be placed on the ballot and submitted to voters prior to the NCAA Tournament.
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, will honor the male and female Wooden Award winners, the top five All-Americans and the Legends of Coaching recipient, Coach Tubby Smith.
John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25
Grayson Allen, Duke
Ryan Anderson, Arizona
Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia
Kris Dunn, Providence
Perry Ellis, Kansas
Kay Felder, Oakland
Daniel Hamilton, Connecticut
Buddy Hield, Oklahoma
Brice Johnson, North Carolina
Damion Lee, Louisville
Caris LeVert, Michigan
Nic Moore, SMU
Jamal Murray, Kentucky
Georges Niang, Iowa State
Marcus Paige, North Carolina
Gary Payton II, Oregon State
Jakob Poeltl, Utah
Domantas Sabonis, Gonzaga
Wayne Selden Jr., Kansas
Ben Simmons, LSU
Melo Trimble, Maryland
Tyler Ulis, Kentucky
Jarrod Uthoff, Iowa
Denzel Valentine, Michigan State
Kyle Wiltjer, Gonzaga
