Bogut Can Add Wooden Award to Trophy Case

Utah All-American center Andrew Bogut has won most of college basketball’s major player-of-the-year awards, and today the sophomore might add the John Wooden Award to his list.

The standout 7-foot Australian, whom many talent evaluators expect to be selected first in June’s NBA draft, is among five finalists for the Wooden Award, presented at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

The other finalists expected to attend today’s presentation are Illinois guard Dee Brown, North Carolina center Sean May, Duke guard-forward J.J. Redick and Kansas forward Wayne Simien.

A panel of more than 1,000 sportswriters and college basketball observers voted for a 10-member Wooden All-American team. The five players with the highest vote totals were named finalists.

Louisville forward Francisco Garcia, Wake Forest guard Chris Paul, Arizona guard Salim Stoudamire, Syracuse forward Hakim Warrick and Illinois guard Deron Williams also are Wooden All-Americans.

Connecticut Coach Jim Calhoun, who in September will be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., will receive the Legends of Coaching Award during the ceremony.

Associated Press, the National Assn. of Basketball Coaches and the U.S. Basketball Writers Assn. are among many groups that have selected Bogut as the nation’s top player. Bogut, who received the Naismith Trophy and others during Final Four ceremonies at St. Louis, had at least 10 points and 10 rebounds in 26 of 35 games this season, the highest total in Division I.

Bogut had the nation’s second-highest rebounding average at 12.2, was fourth in shooting at 62% and scored 20.4 points a game. Utah went 29-6, won the Mountain West Conference regular-season championship and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament, losing to Kentucky.

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The Women’s Wooden Award winner also will be named today.

The women’s Wooden All-Americans, in alphabetical order, are Seimone Augustus of Louisiana State, Monique Currie of Duke, Jessica Davenport of Ohio State, Janel McCarville of Minnesota and Kendra Wecker of Kansas State.

Augustus led the Southeastern Conference in scoring at 20.1 points a game; Currie averaged 17.5 points and 7.1 rebounds and led a Blue Devil tournament run to the Elite Eight; Davenport (19.3 points and 9.1 rebounds) sparked the Buckeyes to a share of the Big Ten title; McCarville led the Gophers in points, rebounds, assists and steals; and Wecker finished her career as the Big 12’s career scoring leader.