Diaz Named Preseason Wooden Award Candidate

Aug. 9, 2005

Coral Gables, Fla. (hurricanesports.com) – University of Miami junior guard Guillermo Diaz (Carolina, Puerto Rico) has been named one of 50 preseason candidates for the John R. Wooden Award presented annually to the top collegiate basketball player in the nation.

Diaz earned second-team All-ACC honors last season after averaging 18.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Diaz was the only player in the ACC to rank among the top-10 (conference games only) in scoring (2nd), field goal percentage (8th), three-point field goal percentage (10th) and steals (3rd). He has scored in double-figures in 27 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the ACC.

Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. It is bestowed upon the nation’s best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his or her university that he or she is making progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA. Previous winners include such notables as Michael Jordan (’84), Larry Bird (’79), Tim Duncan (’97) and last year’s recipient, Andrew Bogut (’05).

2005-06 Wooden Award PreseasonAll-American Team - Top 50 Candidates(Based on a preseason poll. Players listed alphabetically.)

Hassan Adams 6’4″ Sr. G ArizonaMaurice Ager 6’5″ Sr. G Michigan StateJosh Boone 6’10” Jr. F ConnecticutBrandon Bowman 6’8″ Sr. F GeorgetownRonnie Brewer 6’7″ Jr. G ArkansasAaron Brooks 6’0″ Jr. G OregonDee Brown 5’11” Sr. G IllinoisNick Caner-Medley 6’8″ Sr. F MarylandRodney Carney 6’7″ Sr. F MemphisMardy Collins 6’6″ Sr. G TempleJamesOn Curry 6’3″ So. G Oklahoma StateChuck Davis 6’7″ Sr. F AlabamaGlen Davis 6’9″ So. F LSUPaul Davis 6’11’ Sr. C Michigan StateTaquan Dean 6’3″ Sr. G LouisvilleGuillermo Diaz 6’2″ Jr. G MiamiJared Dudley 6’7″ Jr. F Boston CollegeJordan Farmar 6’2″ So. G UCLANick Fazekas 6’11” Jr. F NevadaDaniel Gibson 6’2″ So. G TexasRudy Gay 6’9″ So. F ConnecticutJustin Gray 6’2″ Sr. G Wake ForestTaj Gray 6’9″ Sr. F OklahomaVincent Grier 6’5″ Jr. G MinnesotaDan Grunfeld 6’6″ Sr. G StanfordChris Hernandez 6’2″ Sr. G StanfordJeff Horner 6’3″ Sr. G IowaJarrius Jackson 6’1″ Jr. G Texas TechBen Jacobson 6’3″ Sr. G Northern IowaCarl Krauser 6’2″ Jr. G PittsburghNana Mensah-Bonsu 6’9″ Sr. F George WashingtonPaul Millsap 6’8″ Jr. F Louisiana TechGerry McNamara 6’2″ Sr. G SyracuseAdam Morrison 6’8″ Jr. F GonzagaSteve Novak 6’10” Sr. F MarquetteKevin Pittsnogle 6’11” Sr. C West VirginiaLeon Powe 6’8″ Jr. F CaliforniaJ.J. Redick 6’4″ Sr. G DukeRajon Rondo 6’1″ So. G KentuckyBrandon Roy 6’6″ Sr. G WashingtonCraig Smith 6’7″ Sr. F Boston CollegeSteven Smith 6’7″ Sr. F LaSalleCurtis Stinson 6’3″ Jr. G Iowa StateCurtis Sumpter 6’7″ Sr. F VillanovaAlando Tucker 6’5″ So. F WisconsinP.J. Tucker 6’5″ Jr. F TexasDarius Washington 6’2″ So. G MemphisEric Williams 6’9″ Sr. C Wake ForestSheldon Williams 6’9″ Sr. F DukeCurtis Withers 6’8″ Sr. F Charlotte

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