• ROSTER
• |
• COACHES
• |
• SCHEDULE
• |
• STATS
• |
• NEWS
• |
• ARCHIVES
• |
• PHOTOS

Follow @UofLSports on Twitter

Aug. 19, 2009

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - University of Louisville forward Samardo Samuels is among 50 preseason candidates for the 2009-10 John R. Wooden Award All-American Team and Player of the Year trophy. The list is comprised of 50 student athletes who, based on last year's individual performance and team records, are the early frontrunners for college basketball's most prestigious honor.

A 6-8 sophomore from Trelawny, Jamaica, Samuels was the seventh-leading freshman scorer ever at Louisville, averaging 11.8 points last season. He ranked 11th in the BIG EAST in blocked shots (1.3), was seventh in field goal percentage (.578) and grabbed 4.9 rebounds a game. A member of the BIG EAST All-Rookie team, his 51 dunks were the second most ever in a single season at U of L.

Former U of L forward Terrence Williams, a first-round NBA draft pick of the New Jersey Nets and the top college senior taken in the draft, was honored on the 2009 Wooden All-American team. The only returning member of that team is Luke Harangody, a senior forward for BIG EAST foe Notre Dame. Eleven BIG EAST players are represented on the list, more than any other conference.

Transfers, freshmen and medical redshirts are not eligible for the preseason list. Those and others may be considered for December's Midseason list and the official voting ballot released in March.

In late December, the Wooden Award Committee will release the Midseason Top 30 list, followed in March by the national ballot, consisting of approximately 20 top players who have proven to their universities that they are also making progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA. The Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced the week of the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament.

The 34th annual Wooden Award ceremony, which will include the announcement of the Men's and Women's Wooden Award winner, and the presentation of the Wooden Award All-American Teams and the Legends of Coaching Award, will take place the weekend of April 9-11, 2010.

Last season, the Cardinals attained their first-ever Associated Press No. 1 national ranking, achieving that position in the final poll of the season. U of L won its first BIG EAST Conference regular season title -- accomplished in a year in which the league had a national record nine teams earn national rankings during the season -- and also won the league tournament championship. U of L entered the NCAA Tournament the overall No. 1 seed and reached the NCAA Elite Eight for the second straight season, finishing with a 31-6 overall record.

2009-10 John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 List
Name             Height  Class Pos. University      Conference
Solomon Alabi     7-1     So.   C   Florida State   ACC
Cole Aldrich      6-11    Jr.   C   Kansas          Big 12
Al-Farouq Aminu   6-9     So.   F   Wake Forest     ACC
Luke Babbit       6-9     So.   F   Nevada          WAC
Talor Battle      5-11    Jr.   G   Penn State      Big Ten
Trevor Booker     6-7     Sr.   F   Clemson         ACC
Matt Bouldin      6-5     Sr.   G   Gonzaga         West Coast
Craig Brackins    6-10    Jr.   F   Iowa State      Big 12
Da'Sean Butler    6-7     Sr.   F   West Virginia   Big East
Sherron Collins   5-11    Sr.   G   Kansas          Big 12
Ed Davis          6-10    So.   F   North Carolina  ACC
Devan Downey      5-9     Sr.   G   South Carolina  SEC
Jerome Dyson      6-3     Sr.   G   Connecticut     Big East
Devin Ebanks      6-9     So.   F   West Virginia   Big East
Corey Fisher      6-1     Jr.   G   Villanova       Big East
Luke Harangody    6-8     Sr.   F   Notre Dame      Big East
Manny Harris      6-5     Jr.   G   Michigan        Big Ten
Gordon Hayward    6-8     So.  G/F  Butler          Conference USA
Jeremy Hazell     6-5     Jr.   G   Seton Hall      Big East
Robbie Hummel     6-8     Jr.   F   Purdue          Big Ten
Damion James      6-7     Sr.  G/F  Texas           Big 12
Sylven Landesberg 6-6     So.   G   Virginia        ACC
Gani Lawal        6-9     Jr.   F   Georgia Tech    ACC
Kalin Lucas       6-0     Jr.   G   Michigan State  Big Ten
Tasmin Mitchell   6-7     Sr.   F   Louisiana State SEC
Greg Monroe       6-11    So.   C   Georgetown      Big East
E'Twaun Moore     6-3     Jr.   G   Purdue          Big Ten
Raymar Morgan     6-8     Sr.   F   Michigan State  Big Ten
A.J. Ogilvy       6-11    Jr.   C   Vanderbilt      SEC
Patrick Patterson 6-9     Jr.   F   Kentucky        SEC
Jerome Randle     5-10    Sr.   G   California      Pac 10
Scottie Reynolds  6-2     Jr.   G   Villanova       Big East
Samardo Samuels   6-8     So.   F   Louisville      Big East
Larry Sanders     6-11    Jr.   F   VCU             CAA
Jon Scheyer       6-5     Sr.   G   Duke            ACC
DeShawn Sims      6-8     Sr.   F   Michigan        Big Ten
Kyle Singler      6-8     Jr.   F   Duke            ACC
Tyler Smith       6-7     Sr.  G/F  Tennessee       SEC
Isaiah Thomas     5-8     So.   G   Washington      Pac 10
Deon Thompson     6-8     Sr.   F   North Carolina  ACC
J.T. Tiller       6-3     Sr.   G   Missouri        Big 12
Evan Turner       6-7     Jr.  G/F  Ohio State      Big Ten
Jarvis Varnado    6-9     Sr.  F/C  Mississippi St. SEC
Greivis Vasquez   6-6     Sr.   G   Maryland        ACC
Deonta Vaughn     6-1     Sr.   G   Cincinnati      Big East
Kemba Walker      6-1     So.   G   Connecticut     Big East
Willie Warren     6-4     So.   G   Oklahoma        Big 12
Terrico White     6-5     So.   G   Mississippi     SEC
Nic Wise          5-10    Sr.   G   Arizona         Pac 10
Chris Wright      6-8     Jr.   F   Dayton          Atlantic 10