North Carolina State University Athletics
Hodge on Wooden Award List
3/8/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 8, 2004
NC State's Julius Hodge, the only player in the ACC to rank in the top 10 in five different statistical categories, is one of 20 finalists nominated for the prestigious Wooden Award, given each year to college basketball's top player. The 6-7 Hodge ranks second in the league scoring (18.1 ppg.), first in field goal percentage (.509), third in free throw percentage (.822), sixth in assists per game (3.8) and ninth in rebounding (6.3).
The winner will be announced on Saturday, April 10, when CBS will nationally broadcast the John R. Wooden Award Show Presented by Allstate, live from The Los Angeles Athletic Club beginning at 1 pm EST.
"Each of these 20 players should be commended for a great job in leading his respective team this season," said Richard Duke Llewellyn, founder and chairman of the Wooden Award. "This year's race for player of the year is wide open, so it should be interesting to see who ultimately takes home the Wooden Award trophy."
A panel of over 1,000 voters comprised of sports media members and college basketball experts from around the nation will have until noon pacific time on Monday, March 29 to cast their votes for both the 10-member All-American team and Wooden Award recipient as the most outstanding collegiate basketball player in the United States.
While other player of the year awards are voted upon prior to postseason play, the Wooden Award opts for the later March 29 deadline because it allows voters to evaluate players up until the Final Four teams have been determined.
The 2004 Award ceremony, which will include the presentation of the Wooden Award All-American Team, the inaugural Women's Wooden Award and the presentation of the Legends of Coaching Award to Stanford Coach Mike Montgomery, will be held at The Los Angeles Athletic Club on Saturday, April 10. The All-American Team will be announced on March 30 and the top five candidates will be invited to Los Angeles for the Awards ceremony.
Each finalist will receive a contribution from the John R. Wooden Award Scholarship Fund in their name to their university's general scholarship fund. The John R. Wooden Award Scholarship Fund was established by Wooden Award sponsor Applied Materials through the California Community Foundation to honor Coach Wooden's dedication as a teacher and educator.
The top 20 candidates have been selected based on this year's individual performance and team records.
Josh Childress, Stanford
Travis Diener, Marquette
Ike Diogu, Arizona State
Chris Duhon, Duke
B.J. Elder, Georgia Tech
Andre Emmett, Texas Tech
Gerald Fitch, Kentucky
Matt Freije, Vanderbilt
Francisco Garcia, Louisville
Ryan Gomes, Providence
Devin Harris, Wisconsin
Julius Hodge, NC State
Luke Jackson, Oregon
John Lucas, Oklahoma State
Jameer Nelson, St. Joseph's
Emeka Okafor, Connecticut
Lawrence Roberts, Mississippi State
Wayne Simien, Kansas
Blake Stepp, Gonzaga
Hakim Warrick, Syracuse
