The Big West Conference had two players named to the Wooden Award pre-season watch list released Monday, October 3. Seniors Orlando Johnson of UC Santa Barbara and Casper Ware of Long Beach State are the first players from the Big West to be considered for the award since UC Irvine's Jerry Green in the 2001-02 season. Johnson and Ware are the past two Big West Players of the Year, while the Big West is one of just three non-BCS conferences to have multiple nominees.
In the 2011-12 season, Orlando Johnson was an All-Big West First Team selection after averaging a Big West-best 21.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game and helping the Gauchos to their second-straight Big West Tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance.
Casper Ware was crowned the 2011-12 Big West Player of the Year after leading Long Beach State to the Big West regular-season championship. On the year, Ware averaged a team-leading 17.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.
The Wooden Award watch list is compiled from a poll of national media members who take into account last season's individual performances as well as team records. The players on the list are eligible for the Midseason list and then the official voting ballot of twenty players. The ten finalists will comprise the Wooden Award All-America Team, to be announced the week of the "Elite Eight" round of the NCAA Tournament.
2011-12 John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 List
|
Name
|
Height
|
Class
|
Position
|
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.