Pictured: Jeremy Lin is one of 31 players named as a top 30 candidate for the John R. Wooden Award. 

Harvard's Jeremy Lin is one of 30 players to be named as one of the top 30 candidates for the John R. Wooden Award, the nation's most coveted college basketball honor, were named today by The Los Angeles Athletic Club's John R. Wooden Award Committee. Composed of the players who will compete for this season's player of the year award, the attached midseason list is based on individual excellence and team record during the first half of the season.

Entering play at Santa Clara Monday night, Lin is averaging 18.3 points per game (third Ivy), 5.1 rebounds (ninth), 54 percent shooting (fourth; first among guards), 4.4 assists (third), 2.8 steals (first), 1.3 blocks (fourth, only guard ranked), 1.2 assist-turnover ratio (sixth) and 3.9 defensive rebounds (fifth).  

The list contains 31 players, not the traditional 30, because the playing status of Ohio State's Evan Turner is uncertain due to a back injury.

The Big East leads the Midseason Top 30 with 6 players selected. The Big 12 and ACC follow with five selections, the Big Ten with four, the SEC with three, the Pac-10, Mountain West and West Coast with two and the Horizon League and Ivy League with one selection each. Overall, more than 90 different players received votes.

The final national ballot, which will be selected in March and will consist of approximately 20 players, chosen by the Wooden Award National Advisory Board Committee.  Players selected to the national ballot will have to be certified by their university as making progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA. 

More than 1,000 voters, comprised of sports media members and college basketball experts from across the nation, will then cast their votes to determine both the 10-member All American Team and Player of the Year. In late March, the 10-player Wooden Award All American Team will be announced.  The Women's John R. Wooden Award Midseason list will be released next week.

The 34th annual Wooden Award ceremony, which will include the announcement of the Men's and Women's Wooden Award winner, and the presentation of the Legends of Coaching Award to Florida's Billy Donovan, will take place on April 9, 2010.

Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball.  It is bestowed upon the nation's best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his or her university that he or she is making progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA.  Previous winners include such notables as Larry Bird ('79), Michael Jordan ('84), Tim Duncan ('97), and Blake Griffin ('09). Candace Parker (Tennessee) won the Women's Wooden Award in 2007 and 2008 and Maya Moore (Connecticut) won last year.

Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed close to a million dollars to universities' general scholarship fund in the names of the All-American recipients. The Award has also sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps in the Award's name.   Additionally, the John R. Wooden Award partners with Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) each year to host the Wooden Award Special Olympics Southern California Basketball Tournament.  The all-day tournament, which brings together Special Olympic athletes and the All-Americans, takes place at The Los Angeles Athletic Club during the John R. Wooden Award weekend.

MIDSEASON TOP 30

$ 2009 Wooden All-American
% 2008 Wooden All-American
# Injured, playing status uncertain