Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 Watch List
Fighting Illini junior point guard Ayo Dosunmu and sophomore center Kofi Cockburn have been named to the Preseason Top 50 Watch List for the John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy's, the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced Tuesday.
Illinois is one of just 11 schools – and one of only two Big Ten programs along with Iowa – to have two student-athletes on the preseason list for the Wooden Award, which has been awarded annually since 1976 to the nation's most outstanding college basketball player. The Big Ten leads all conferences with 10 players on the Preseason Top 50.
This is the latest accolade for the pair of Illini standouts. Dosunmu has now been named the following:
Cockburn, meanwhile, has garnered the following:
The players on the Preseason Top 50 Watch List are considered strong candidates for the 2021 John R. Wooden Award Men's Player of the Year presented by Wendy's. Players not chosen to the preseason list are still eligible for the Wooden Award midseason list, late season list, and the National Ballot. The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award.
Nearly 1,000 voters will rank in order 10 of those 15 players when voting opens prior to the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during early round games. The Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced the week of the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2021 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Wendy's following the NCAA Tournament in April.
