Posted: 01/11/2013 | Last updated: January 11, 2013 at 04:16 PM
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Lehigh senior guard C.J. McCollum has been named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25, as announced late Thursday by The Los Angeles Athletic Club on ESPNU. Selected by the Wooden Award National Advisory Board, the list is made up of 25 student-athletes who, based on their performances in November, December, and the beginning of January, are the frontrunners for college basketball’s most prestigious honor. McCollum was leading the nation in scoring at the time of his injury last Saturday.
Despite scoring just four points before his injury at VCU, McCollum is still averaging 23.9 points and 5.0 rebounds this season while shooting 50 percent from the field and 52 percent from three-point range. He’s reached 30 points on four occasions, beginning in the season opener at Baylor when he posted 36. McCollum also scored 30 against Fairfield (35), at Quinnipiac (30) and vs. Bryant (34).
McCollum is out an estimated 8-10 weeks with a broken foot. There is a possibility he could return for the final game of the regular season or Patriot League Tournament, however that possibility will depend entirely on his healing process.
Eighteen of the 25 student-athletes are from BCS Conferences. The Big East had five players chosen to the list, followed by the Big 10 and Big 12 with four each. The ACC had three selections; the Mountain West and SEC had two; and the Summit League, WCC, Patriot League, Ohio Valley Conference, and Missouri Valley Conference each had one player selected.
The Wooden Award All American Team, consisting of the nation’s top 10 players, will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament. The John R. Wooden Award Player of the Year presented by Wendy’s will be announced on ESPN during the Final Four Weekend in Atlanta. The 2013 Wooden Award Gala presented by Wendy’s will take place April 11-13, 2013, at The Los Angeles Athletic Club. The Gala will honor the Men's and Women's Wooden Award winners, All Americans and the Legends of Coaching Award winner, Kansas Head Coach Bill Self.
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NAME
|
Ht.
|
Yr.
|
Pos.
|
School
|
Conference
|
|
Anthony Bennett
|
6-8
|
Fr.
|
F
|
UNLV
|
Mountain West
|
|
|
Laurence Bowers
|
6-8
|
Sr.
|
F
|
Missouri
|
SEC
|
|
|
Trey Burke
|
6-0
|
So.
|
G
|
Michigan
|
Big Ten
|
|
|
Isaiah Canaan*
|
6-1
|
Sr.
|
G
|
Murray State
|
Ohio Valley Conference
|
|
|
Michael Carter-Williams
|
6-6
|
So.
|
G
|
Syracuse
|
Big East
|
|
|
Jack Cooley
|
6-9
|
Sr.
|
F
|
Notre Dame
|
Big East
|
|
|
Seth Curry
|
6-2
|
Sr.
|
G
|
Duke
|
ACC
|
|
|
Jamaal Franklin
|
6-5
|
Jr.
|
G
|
San Diego State
|
Mountain West
|
|
|
Erick Green
|
6-3
|
Sr.
|
G
|
Virginia Tech
|
ACC
|
|
|
Elias Harris
|
6-8
|
Sr.
|
F
|
Gonzaga
|
WCC
|
|
|
Pierre Jackson
|
5-10
|
Sr.
|
G
|
Baylor
|
Big 12
|
|
|
Sean Kilpatrick
|
6-4
|
Jr.
|
G/F
|
Cincinnati
|
Big East
|
|
|
C.J. McCollum
|
6-3
|
Sr.
|
G
|
Lehigh
|
Patriot League
|
|
|
Doug McDermott*
|
6-8
|
Jr.
|
F
|
Creighton
|
Missouri Valley Conference
|
|
|
Ben McLemore
|
6-5
|
Fr.
|
G
|
Kansas
|
Big 12
|
|
|
Brandon Paul
|
6-4
|
Sr.
|
G
|
Illinois
|
Big Ten
|
|
|
Mason Plumlee
|
6-10
|
Sr.
|
F
|
Duke
|
ACC
|
|
|
Otto Porter, Jr.
|
6-8
|
So.
|
F
|
Georgetown
|
Big East
|
|
|
Phil Pressey
|
5-11
|
Jr.
|
G
|
Missouri
|
SEC
|
|
|
Marcus Smart
|
6-4
|
Fr.
|
G
|
Oklahoma State
|
Big 12
|
|
|
Russ Smith
|
6-0
|
Jr.
|
G
|
Louisville
|
Big East
|
|
|
Deshaun Thomas
|
6-7
|
Jr.
|
F
|
Ohio State
|
Big Ten
|
|
|
Jeff Withey
|
7-0
|
Sr.
|
C
|
Kansas
|
Big 12
|
|
|
Nate Wolters
|
6-4
|
Sr.
|
G
|
South Dakota State
|
The Summit League
|
|
|
Cody Zeller
|
7-0
|
So.
|
F
|
Indiana
|
Big Ten
|
|