Johnson And Moore Named To Wooden Award Midseason List

purdue-logo.jpgPurdue was one of just two schools in the nation to place multiple players on the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 30 on Thursday, as seniors JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore were included among the candidates announced by the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

Selected by the Wooden Award National Advisory Board, the list is comprised of the 30 student-athletes who, based on their performances in November and December, have set themselves apart as early frontrunners for one of college basketball’s most prestigious honors.

The Big Ten and Big 12 each led all conferences with six honorees each. Duke was the only school other than Purdue to have more than one player included on the list.

The second AP Preseason All-American in Purdue history, Johnson is averaging 19.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game on the season. In three Big Ten games, the Indianapolis native is producing at a rate of 18.7 points and 10.7 boards per outing.

Johnson is ranked 28th in Division I in scoring and 35th in blocks per game. He also ranks fourth in the Big Ten in both points and rebounds per game, while ranking second in blocks and sixth in minutes played.

Moore has been equally as impressive as his classmate and close friend through the season’s first 15 games, averaging 19.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest. The reigning Big Ten Co-Player of the Week is scoring at a clip of 18.7 points per game in league play, while upping his averages to 6.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists.

The East Chicago, Ind., native is currently ranked 25th in the nation in scoring, while his three-point field goal percentage (.443) is good for 22nd among all Division I players. He also stands fifth in the Big Ten in scoring and steals (1.73), eighth in three-point field goals per game (2.33), 10th in three-point field goal percentage and 15th in rebounds.

He is currently tied for sixth on Purdue’s career scoring chart with 1,813 points, and is on the verge of joining Steve Smith (Michigan State) and Michael Finley (Wisconsin) as the only players in Big Ten history with 2,000 points, 500 rebounds and 350 assists in their careers.

The 35th-annual Wooden Award ceremony, which will include the announcement of the Men’s and Women’s Wooden Award winners, a special tribute to Coach Wooden and Wooden Award founder Duke Llewellyn, and the presentation of the Wooden Award All-America team, will take place over the weekend of April 8-10, 2011.