McClinton Named to Wooden Preseason List

McClinton Named to Wooden Preseason List

Nov. 7, 2008

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Senior guard Jack McClinton of the University of Miami men’s basketball team was named a 2008-09 preseason candidate for the John R. Wooden Award. McClinton is listed among 50 candidates as early frontrunners for basketball’s most prestigious honor, based on last year’s individual performance and team record.

 

McClinton is the fourth Hurricane to become a Wooden Award candidate and the first since Guillermo Diaz was named to the preseason list in 2005-06. Darius Rice was named to the preseason list in both 2002-03 and 2003-04 and was also on the midseason list in 2003-04, while Tim James was on both the preseason and midseason lists for the Wooden Award in 1998-99.

 

McClinton averaged a team-high 17.7 points per game, including an ACC-leading 2.9 three-pointers per game, en route to First Team All-ACC honors as a junior in 2007-08. The nation’s top returning free throw shooter, he converted an ACC-high 91.9 percent of his free throws last season and also finished among the league’s leaders in scoring (4), three-point field goal percentage (2) and minutes played (13). In addition, the sports administration major was named to the All-ACC Academic Team with a 3.1 GPA.

McClinton is one of eight ACC players on the preseason list, including 2007-08 Wooden Award winner Tyler Hansbrough (North Carolina), Wayne Ellington (North Carolina), Gerald Henderson (Duke), James Johnson (Wake Forest), Ty Lawson (North Carolina), Tyrese Rice (Boston College) and Kyle Singler (Duke).

In mid-January, 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 also shown they are making progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA. The Wooden Award All-America Team will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” during the NCAA Tournament, while the 33rd annual Wooden Award ceremony will be held at The Los Angeles Athletic Club in April.

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 that he is making progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA. Previous winners include Larry Bird (’79),  Michael Jordan (’84), Tim Duncan (’97) and 2007 recipient Kevin Durant.

2008-09 John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 List
A.J. Abrams                          Texas
Wink Adams                         UNLV
DeJuan Blair                        Pittsburgh
Jon Brockman                      Washington
Derrick Brown                      Xavier
Chase Budinger                  Arizona
Nick Calathes                      Florida
Dionte Christmas               Temple
Earl Clark                              Louisville
Sherron Collins                   Kansas
Darren Collison                   UCLA
Lee Cummard                     BYU
Stephen Curry                      Davidson
Devan Downey                     South Carolina
Robert Dozier                       Memphis
Wayne Ellington                   North Carolina
Jonny Flynn                           Syracuse
Taj Gibson                            USC
Blake Griffin                          Oklahoma
Tyler Hansbrough               North Carolina
Luke Harangody                  Notre Dame
James Harden                     Arizona State
Gerald Henderson              Duke
Lester Hudson                     Tennessee Martin
Robbie Hummel                  Purdue
Stefon Jackson                    UTEP
Dominic James                   Marquette
Damion James                    Texas
Curtis Jerrells                      Baylor
James Johnson                  Wake Forest
Marcus Landry                     Wisconsin
Ty Lawson                            North Carolina
Eric Maynor                           VCU
Jack McClinton                   Miami
Jerel McNeal                        Marquette
Patrick Mills                          St. Mary’s
Raymar Morgan                   Michigan State
A.J. Ogilvy                              Vanderbilt
Jeremy Pargo                       Gonzaga
Patrick Patterson                 Kentucky
A.J. Price                               Connecticut
Scottie Reynolds                 Villanova
Tyrese Rice                          Boston College
Kyle Singler                          Duke
Tyler Smith                            Tennessee
DaJuan Summers              Georgetown
Hasheem Thabeet              Connecticut
Robert Vaden                       UAB
Terrence Wililams               Louisville
Sam Young                           Pittsburg