Josh Hart named to John R. Wooden Award final ballot

The Los Angeles Athletic Club announced the 2017 National Ballot for the John R. Wooden Award^® over the weekend. Selected by the Wooden Award^™ National Advisory Board, the list is comprised of 15 student-athletes who are candidates for the Wooden Award All American Team and one shall receive the Wooden Award Trophy as the most outstanding college basketball player in the United States.

Villanova’s Josh Hart was on the list.

Hart is the only player from the BIG EAST. The Big 12 and ACC boasts three players on the list as the Pac 12, Big Ten, ACC, and the West Coast Conference are also represented.

The 6’6” guard from Silver Spring, MD is averaging 18.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game. He is the only BIG EAST player in the Top 5 for scoring and rebounding.

Voting will take place from March 13th to March 20th, and voters, consisting of nearly 1,000 members of the national college basketball media, take into consideration a player’s entire season of play, as well as opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Fans may vote through the fan voting site, sponsored by Wendy’s, at www.woodenawardvote.com.

The Wooden Award All American Team, consisting of the nation’s top 10 players, and the finalists for the Wooden Award, widely considered the most prestigious honor in college basketball, will be announced following the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament and will be the focus of a 30-minute show March 27^th on ESPN at 8pm EST.

The 41^st annual presentation of the John R. Wooden Award to the men’s and women’s most outstanding college basketball player will be the anchor presentation of the ESPN College Basketball Awards Presented by Wendy’s on ESPN2 on Friday, April 7, 2017. The men’s and women’s John R. Wooden Award All American Teams will be honored during the ceremony, and the 2017 Wooden Award Legends of Coaching Trophy will be presented to Muffet McGraw, Head Women’s Basketball Coach at Notre Dame.