Nov. 7, 2008
UTEP senior guard Stefon Jackson is one of 50 players on the preseason watch list for the John R. Wooden All-American Team and Player of the Year trophy, college basketball's most prestigious honor.
Jackson is one of three players from Conference USA on the list, joining Memphis senior forward Robert Dozier and UAB senior guard/forward Robert Vaden.
Jackson led C-USA and ranked seventh nationally in scoring last season, averaging 23.6 points per game. He earned first team all-league honors and was an All-District selection by the NABC and the USBWA. He is fourth in school history with 1,548 points and is UTEP's all-time leader for 20-point games with 41. The Philadelphia native broke Dwyane Wade's record for most points by a Conference USA junior in 2007-08 with 778.
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 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 during the NCAA Tournament.
The 33rd annual Wooden Award ceremony, which will include the announcement of the Men's and Women's Wooden Award, and the presentation of the Wooden Award All-American Teams and the Legends of Coaching Award to Rick Barnes from The University of Texas, will be held at The Los Angeles Athletic Club in April, 2009.
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 Larry Bird ('79), Michael Jordan ('84), Tim Duncan ('97), and 2007 recipient Kevin Durant of Texas. Candace Parker of Tennessee won the Women's Wooden Award in 2007 and 2008.
Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed close to a million dollars to universities' general scholarship fund in the names of the All-American recipients as well as sent over 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps in the awards name. Additionally, the John R. Wooden Award partners with Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) each year to host the Wooden Award Special Olympics Southern California Basketball Tournament. The day-long tournament, which brings together Special Olympic athletes and the All-Americans, takes place at The Los Angeles Athletic Club on the Friday prior to the John R. Wooden Award Ceremony.
