Scott Named To Wooden Top 50 Watch List

BOULDER - For the fourth time since the 2010-11 men’s basketball season, a student-athlete from the University of Colorado has been nominated for the John R. Wooden Award, as forward Josh Scott was named one of the Top 50 nominees for the award, announced Tuesday.

The John R. Wooden Award, created in 1976, is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. Those who receive the award are among the nation’s best student-athletes and must maintain at least a 2.0 GPA to prove that they are on the path towards graduation. Past recipients of the award include Larry Bird (1979), Michael Jordan (1984), Kevin Durant (2009) and Doug McDermott (2014).

In early January, the Wooden Award National Advisory Board will select 25 players for the midseason list. That number will be narrowed to 15 in early February and the award winner will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament.

Scott solidified his nomination on the watch list after the first game of the 2014-15 season against Drexel, scoring a game-high 21 points with 11 rebounds and three blocked shots.  His 21 points also tied for a career high. Scott’s game against the Dragon resulted in his 16th career double-double, which granted him a ranking of 13th on the school’s all-time list.

Scott is coming off a stellar sophomore campaign leading the Buffaloes in scoring (14.1 ppg), rebounding (8.4 rpg), field goal percentage (51.1) and double-doubles (13).  Additionally, he was second on the team in blocks (40) and steals (28).

The junior, who is majoring in sociology, was also a major contributor in getting CU to its third NCAA Tournament appearance, which was a school-first.  Additionally, Scott was also placed on the 2014 All-Pac-12 Conference first team after his impressive sophomore season.

To date, only four other Colorado athletes have been nominated for the John R. Wooden Award.  Alec Burks received a nomination during the 2010-11 season and made it as a Top 20 finalist. Spencer Dinwiddie (2013-14), Andre Roberson (2012-13) were also honored with a Top 50 mention, as was, Chauncey Billups, a candidate in 1995-96.

Six other athletes from Pac-12 schools were included in the Top 50 nominations for the 2014-15 season (Arizona: Brandon Ashley, Stanley Johnson, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson; Stanford: Chasson Randle; Utah: Delon Wright; Oregon: Joseph Young).

Scott will be back in action Monday night as Colorado takes on Auburn as a part of ESPN’s College Hoops Tip Off Marathon (11 p.m., MST, ESPN2).  The game marks the first time that the Buffaloes have participated in the College Hoops Tip Off Marathon.