Cal's Front-Runners for the Most Prestigious Award in Sports
The John R. Wooden award, which was created in 1976, is awarded to those athletes who not only possess phenomenal basketball skills but those who also show significant progress towards graduation by keeping a 2.0 GPA.
Some of the winners of this award have been some very recognizable names. Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Candace Parker, Maya Moore.
On the 2011- 2012 watch list there are two names that represent University of California: Allen Crabbe and Jorge Gutierrez.
Allen Crabbe, along with being a selected front-runner for this award, is a major cog in Cal's upside this year. Last year Crabbe was the PAC-10's Freshman of the Year and also set a school record for three-pointers made with 62. His free throw percentage is also a huge upside as well (.804).
Jorge Gutierrez is a senior guard who has major potential to lead this year. Along with academic performance, Gutierrez was named Defensive Player of the Year a season ago. Also, he reached double figures in points 25 of 33 games. His defensive stand on the court is most notable having 54 steals, placing him at seventh on the all time Cal list. Coach Mike Montgomery's teams have been noted for their defense so it’s no surprise that Jorge has developed into this type of player.
This award would be well deserved by either of these players. A marquee matchup against UCLA, who also has two players on the Wooden Award watch list, is scheduled for December 31st.
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