University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Lonzo Ball Named to John Wooden Award Watch List
November 15, 2016 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – UCLA freshman guard Lonzo Ball has been selected as one of 50 players nationwide to the John R. Wooden Award's preseason top 50 list, as announced on Tuesday.
The list is comprised of 50 student-athletes who are early front-runners for college basketball's most prestigious individual honor.
Ball, a 6-foot-6 guard from Chino Hills, Calif., arrived at UCLA in the summer of 2016 after a sensational high school career at Chino Hills High School. During his senior season, Ball guided his team to a 35-0 record and the CIF State Open Division Championship in California. He secured CIF Southern Section Open Division Player of the Year honors and was named the Naismith High School Player of the Year.
Through two games in his freshman season at UCLA, Ball has averaged 16.0 points, 8.5 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game. He has compiled a 2.8-to-1 assist-turnover ratio (17 assists, six turnovers) and has shot 71.4 percent from the field (10-of-14).
Last week, Ball was named as one of 50 candidates to the preseason watch list for the 2017 Naismith Trophy, presented annually by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
The 41st annual presentation of the John R. Wooden Award to the men's and women's most outstanding basketball player will be the anchor presentation of the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show presented by Wendy's on ESPN2 on Friday, April 7, 2017. The men's and women's John R. Wooden Award All-American Teams will be honored during the ceremony, and the 2017 Wooden Award Legends of Coaching Trophy will be presented to Muffet McGraw, head women's basketball coach at the University of Notre Dame.
Ranked No. 16 in this week's AP and USA Today Coaches polls, UCLA returns to action against the University of San Diego in Pauley Pavilion on Thursday, Nov. 17. Game time is 8 p.m. (PT).
2016-17 John R. Wooden Award Watch List
| Player | Year | Pos. | School |
| Jaylen Adams | Jr. | G | St. Bonaventure |
| Edrice "Bam" Adebayo | Fr. | F | Kentucky |
| Grayson Allen | Jr. | G | Duke |
| Jarrett Allen | Fr. | F | Texas |
| Dwayne Bacon | So. | G | Florida State |
| Lonzo Ball | Fr. | G | UCLA |
| V.J. Beachem | Sr. | F | Notre Dame |
| Joel Berry II | Jr. | G | North Carolina |
| James Blackmon Jr. | Jr. | G | Indiana |
| Jaron Blossomgame | Sr. | F | Clemson |
| Trevon Blueitt | Jr. | G | Xavier |
| Chris Boucher | Sr. | F | Oregon |
| Miles Bridges | Fr. | G/F | Michigan State |
| Dillon Brooks | Jr. | F | Oregon |
| Thomas Bryant | So. | C | Indiana |
| Tyler Dorsey | So. | G | Oregon |
| Jawun Evans | So. | G | Oklahoma State |
| De'Aaron Fox | Fr. | G | Kentucky |
| Markelle Fultz | Fr. | G | Washington |
| Jack Gibbs | Sr. | G | Davidson |
| Harry Giles | Fr. | F | Duke |
| Devonte' Graham | Jr. | G | Kansas |
| Ethan Happ | R-So. | F | Wisconsin |
| Josh Hart | Sr. | G | Villanova |
| Nigel Hayes | Sr. | F | Wisconsin |
| Malcolm Hill | Sr. | G | Illinois |
| Josh Jackson | Fr. | G | Kansas |
| Justin Jackson | Jr. | G/F | North Carolina |
| Kris Jenkins | Sr. | F | Villanova |
| Peter Jok | Sr. | G | Iowa |
| Moses Kingsley | Sr. | F | Arkansas |
| Bronson Koenig | Sr. | G | Wisconsin |
| Dedric Lawson | So. | G/F | Memphis |
| Tyler Lydon | So. | F | Syracuse |
| Lauri Markkanen | Fr. | F | Arizona |
| Frank Mason III | Sr. | G | Kansas |
| E.C. Matthews | Jr. | G | Rhode Island |
| Malik Monk | Fr. | G | Kentucky |
| Monte Morris | Sr. | G | Iowa State |
| Austin Nichols | Jr. | F | Virginia |
| London Perrantes | Sr. | G | Virginia |
| Alec Peters | Sr. | F | Valparaiso |
| Ivan Rabb | So. | F | California |
| Dennis Smith Jr. | Fr. | G | N.C. State |
| Edmond Sumner | So. | G | Xavier |
| Caleb Swanigan | So. | F | Purdue |
| Jayson Tatum | Fr. | F | Duke |
| Melo Trimble | Jr. | G | Maryland |
| Maurice Watson Jr. | Sr. | G | Creighton |
| Nigel Williams-Goss | Jr. | G | Gonzaga |
