University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Bona Selected to John R. Wooden Award Watch List
November 14, 2023 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – UCLA sophomore Adem Bona has been selected to the preseason watch list for the John R. Wooden Award, as announced on Tuesday by the Los Angeles Athletic Club.
The Wooden Award is annually presented to the nation's top men's and women's college basketball players. Bona has also been recognized this month on the preseason watch list for the Naismith Trophy, organized each season by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
Bona has averaged 17.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in UCLA's first two games this season, a pair of home victories against Saint Francis and Lafayette. Last season, he secured Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors after having averaged 7.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game in 33 contests (32 starts). Bona arrived at UCLA in the summer of 2022 after spending his final two seasons of high school at Prolific Prep in Napa, Calif.
Bona, who grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, ranked No. 2 in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage last season (67.5%) and was one of five players to earn Pac-12 All-Freshman Team acclaim. He was also recognized as one of five players on the league's All-Defensive Team. Bona's single-season field goal percentage (67.5%) ranked No. 3 on the school's single-season record list, with a minimum of 75 shots made during the season.
Last month, Bona was listed as one of 20 top power forwards to the Karl Malone Award Power Forward of the Year watch list. He is one of six Pac-12 student-athletes to have been named to the watch list for this year's John R. Wooden Award, along with Oumar Ballo (Arizona), Isaiah Collier (USC), Tristan da Silva (Colorado), N'Faly Dante (Oregon) and Boogie Ellis (USC).
UCLA's program has had two former players win the Wooden Award, including Marques Johnson as the award's first-ever recipient at the conclusion of the 1976-77 season. Ed O'Bannon won the Wooden Award as a senior in 1994-95, helping lead UCLA to the NCAA championship in April of 1995.
Ranked No. 25 in this week's USA Today Coaches poll, UCLA (2-0) will return to action against Long Island University (0-2) this Wednesday evening in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Game time is 7 p.m. (PT). The Bruins' game on Wednesday will be televised by the Pac-12 Network.
