Steve Novak named to preseason Wooden List Top 50

MILWAUKEE, August 9 - Marquette senior forward Steve Novak is one of the top 50 preseason candidates for the John R. Wooden Award All-American Team, the national preseason selection committee announced Monday. Novak averaged 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and shot 46.1-percent from three for MU last season.

The list is composed of 50 student athletes who, based on last year’s individual performance and team records, are the early frontrunners for college basketball’s most coveted trophy. These top 50 candidates are comprised of returning players, although transfers, freshmen and other players who excel throughout the season will be evaluated and considered for both the Midseason top 30 list and the National Ballot.

“With so many players jumping to the next level and so many standout athletes from last year, the committee had a tough time nominating these candidates from such a wide selection of tremendous players,” said Duke Llewellyn, Wooden Award chairman. “These preseason selections represent the elite of college basketball, and our entire team at the Wooden Award is excited to see the best players in the nation prove their case as college basketball’s player of the year.”

Novak’s nomination marks the fourth consecutive season the Golden Eagles have been represented on the national award ballot. In 2003, Dwyane Wade was selected to the Wooden Award All-American first team, and in 2004 and 2005 Travis Diener was recognized on the award’s preseason, mid-season and final ballots.

Former MU great Butch Lee is the only other player in school history to earn Wooden Award honors. Lee was named to the award’s first team after finishing as the runner-up for national player of the year honors in 1978.

Eleven NCAA conferences are represented, including the Big East (nine players), ACC (eight players), Pac 10 (seven players), Big Ten (six players), Big 12 (six players), Atlantic 10 (four players), SEC (four players), Conference USA (two players), Western Athletic Conference (two players), West Coast Conference (one player), and the Missouri Valley Conference (one player).

In mid-January, the Wooden Award committee will release the midseason top 30 on CBS Sports, and on Tuesday, March 28, the 10-player Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced. The 2006 Award ceremony, which will include the presentation of the Men’s and Women’s Wooden Award, the Wooden Award All-American Teams and the Legends of Coaching Award, will be held at The Los Angeles Athletic Club on April 8, 2006, and will be broadcast live on a national CBS telecast