Texas Tech University Athletics

Culver Promoted to Wooden Award Late-Season Watch List
February 05, 2019 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech sophomore Jarrett Culver has been named to the John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy's Men's Late Season Top 20 Watch List as announced by The Los Angeles Athletic Club on ESPN2 on Monday night. Chosen by a poll of national college basketball experts based on their performances during the first half of the 2018-19 season, the list is comprised of 20 student-athletes who are currently the front-runners for the sport's most prestigious honor and the John R. Wooden Award All American Team™.
Culver leads the Red Raiders with 17.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game through 23 games this season. A sophomore from Lubbock, he had 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a season-high five steals in Big 12 play at Kansas State two weeks ago before hitting four 3-pointers against the Razorbacks matched a season-high that he also had against Duke and was one off of his career high from last year when he had five against Seton Hall. Culver, who scored 12 points and had four assists in the win over West Virginia on Monday, recorded his second double-double of the season with a career-high 16 rebounds and also 20 points against Iowa State and also had 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists against Texas on Jan. 12 following his first double-double of the season with 23 points and 13 points against Oklahoma.
He has led the team in scoring in 16 of 23 games and is currently averaging 16.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists through 10 conference games. Culver is also on the Jerry West Award, Oscar Robertson Trophy and Lute Olson Award watch lists, was named to the Sporting News Midseason All-America second-team and earned Big 12 Preseason Honorable Mention honors. He has scored in double figures in 22 of 23 games and is shooting 50.7 percent from the field overall and 45.2 percent in Big 12 play. Culver recorded a career-high with 30 points against Abilene Christian on Dec. 20 where he went 12-for-13 from the field and hit four 3-pointers. He was named the Big 12 Player of the Week after the performance and followed it by going to New York and scoring 25 points against Duke. Culver comes into the second matchup against the Mountaineers having scored 825 career points in 60 games as a Red Raider.
Preseason Top 50 nominee Kyle Guy of Virginia returns to the Wooden Watch after not appearing on the Midseason Top 25. Four schools have two players chosen on the list: Duke (RJ Barrett and Zion Williamson), Nevada (Jordan Caroline and Caleb Martin), Tennessee (Admiral Schofield and Grant Williams), and Virginia (Guy and De'Andre Hunter).
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The ACC leads all conferences with five selections; followed by the Big Ten with four; the Big 12, Big East, Mountain West, and SEC with two selections apiece; and the Ohio Valley, Summit League, and WCC with one each. Culver is joined by Kansas' Dedric Lawson as the two Big 12 members on the list. Â
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The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2019 John R. Wooden Award Men's Player of the Year presented by Wendy's. Â Players not appearing on this list are still eligible for the National Ballot, which will be announced in early March. 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 Teamâ„¢ will be announced the week of the "Elite Eight" round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2019 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Wendy's during the ESPN College Basketball Awards on Friday, April 12, 2019.
About the John R. Wooden Award
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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 basketball player at an NCAA Division I university who has proven to his or her university that he or she meets or exceeds the qualifications of the John R. Wooden Award as set forth by Coach Wooden and the Wooden Award Steering Committee, including making progress towards graduation and maintaining at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA. Previous winners include Larry Bird ('79), Michael Jordan ('84), Tim Duncan ('97), Kevin Durant ('07), Candace Parker ('07 & '08), Maya Moore ('09 & '11), Chiney Ogwumike ('14), and last year's recipients, A'ja Wilson of South Carolina and Jalen Brunson of Villanova.
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Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed nearly one million dollars to the universities' general scholarship fund in the names of the Wooden Award All American recipients and has sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps. Additionally, the John R. Wooden Award partners with the Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) each year to host the Wooden Award Special Olympics Southern California Basketball Tournament. The day-long tournament brings together Special Olympics athletes and Wooden Award All Americans and coaches in attendance. It is hosted at the Los Angeles Athletic Club during the John R. Wooden Award Weekend.
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For up-to-date information on the Wooden Award, please go to www.woodenaward.com and follow the Wooden Award on Facebook at www.facebook.com/woodenaward and @WoodenAward on Twitter and Instagram.
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John R. Wooden Award Presented By Wendy's
2018-19 Men's Late Season Top 20 Watch List
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Culver leads the Red Raiders with 17.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game through 23 games this season. A sophomore from Lubbock, he had 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a season-high five steals in Big 12 play at Kansas State two weeks ago before hitting four 3-pointers against the Razorbacks matched a season-high that he also had against Duke and was one off of his career high from last year when he had five against Seton Hall. Culver, who scored 12 points and had four assists in the win over West Virginia on Monday, recorded his second double-double of the season with a career-high 16 rebounds and also 20 points against Iowa State and also had 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists against Texas on Jan. 12 following his first double-double of the season with 23 points and 13 points against Oklahoma.
He has led the team in scoring in 16 of 23 games and is currently averaging 16.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists through 10 conference games. Culver is also on the Jerry West Award, Oscar Robertson Trophy and Lute Olson Award watch lists, was named to the Sporting News Midseason All-America second-team and earned Big 12 Preseason Honorable Mention honors. He has scored in double figures in 22 of 23 games and is shooting 50.7 percent from the field overall and 45.2 percent in Big 12 play. Culver recorded a career-high with 30 points against Abilene Christian on Dec. 20 where he went 12-for-13 from the field and hit four 3-pointers. He was named the Big 12 Player of the Week after the performance and followed it by going to New York and scoring 25 points against Duke. Culver comes into the second matchup against the Mountaineers having scored 825 career points in 60 games as a Red Raider.
Preseason Top 50 nominee Kyle Guy of Virginia returns to the Wooden Watch after not appearing on the Midseason Top 25. Four schools have two players chosen on the list: Duke (RJ Barrett and Zion Williamson), Nevada (Jordan Caroline and Caleb Martin), Tennessee (Admiral Schofield and Grant Williams), and Virginia (Guy and De'Andre Hunter).
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The ACC leads all conferences with five selections; followed by the Big Ten with four; the Big 12, Big East, Mountain West, and SEC with two selections apiece; and the Ohio Valley, Summit League, and WCC with one each. Culver is joined by Kansas' Dedric Lawson as the two Big 12 members on the list. Â
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The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2019 John R. Wooden Award Men's Player of the Year presented by Wendy's. Â Players not appearing on this list are still eligible for the National Ballot, which will be announced in early March. 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 Teamâ„¢ will be announced the week of the "Elite Eight" round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2019 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Wendy's during the ESPN College Basketball Awards on Friday, April 12, 2019.
About the John R. Wooden Award
Â
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 basketball player at an NCAA Division I university who has proven to his or her university that he or she meets or exceeds the qualifications of the John R. Wooden Award as set forth by Coach Wooden and the Wooden Award Steering Committee, including making progress towards graduation and maintaining at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA. Previous winners include Larry Bird ('79), Michael Jordan ('84), Tim Duncan ('97), Kevin Durant ('07), Candace Parker ('07 & '08), Maya Moore ('09 & '11), Chiney Ogwumike ('14), and last year's recipients, A'ja Wilson of South Carolina and Jalen Brunson of Villanova.
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Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed nearly one million dollars to the universities' general scholarship fund in the names of the Wooden Award All American recipients and has sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps. Additionally, the John R. Wooden Award partners with the Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) each year to host the Wooden Award Special Olympics Southern California Basketball Tournament. The day-long tournament brings together Special Olympics athletes and Wooden Award All Americans and coaches in attendance. It is hosted at the Los Angeles Athletic Club during the John R. Wooden Award Weekend.
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For up-to-date information on the Wooden Award, please go to www.woodenaward.com and follow the Wooden Award on Facebook at www.facebook.com/woodenaward and @WoodenAward on Twitter and Instagram.
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John R. Wooden Award Presented By Wendy's
2018-19 Men's Late Season Top 20 Watch List
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| Name | School | Conference | Height | Class | Position |
| Nickeil Alexander-Walker | Virginia Tech | ACC | 6-5 | So. | G |
| RJ Barrett | Duke | ACC | 6-7 | Fr. | F |
| Ignas Brazdeikis | Michigan | Big Ten | 6-7 | Fr. | F |
| Jordan Caroline | Nevada | Mountain West | 6-7 | Sr. | G/F |
| Jarrett Culver | Texas Tech | Big 12 | 6-6 | So. | G |
| Mike Daum | South Dakota State | Summit League | 6-9 | Sr. | F |
| Carsen Edwards | Purdue | Big Ten | 6-1 | Jr. | G |
| Kyle Guy | Virginia | ACC | 6-2 | Jr. | G |
| Rui Hachimura | Gonzaga | WCC | 6-8 | Jr. | F |
| Ethan Happ | Wisconsin | Big Ten | 6-10 | Sr. | F |
| Markus Howard | Marquette | Big East | 5-11 | Jr. | G |
| De'Andre Hunter | Virginia | ACC | 6-7 | So. | G |
| Dedric Lawson | Kansas | Big 12 | 6-9 | Jr. | F |
| Caleb Martin | Nevada | Mountain West | 6-7 | Sr. | F |
| Ja Morant | Murray State | Ohio Valley | 6-3 | So. | G |
| Shamorie Ponds | St. John's | Big East | 6-1 | Jr. | G |
| Admiral Schofield | Tennessee | SEC | 6-6 | Sr. | G |
| Grant Williams | Tennessee | SEC | 6-7 | Jr. | F |
| Zion Williamson | Duke | ACC | 6-7 | Fr. | F |
| Cassius Winston | Michigan State | Big Ten | 6-1 | Jr. | G |
Players Mentioned
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Monday, March 23
Press Conference: NCAA Tournament Second Round Preview
Saturday, March 21
Postgame Press Conference: vs. Akron (NCAA Tournament First Round)
Friday, March 20
A Round One Celebration
Friday, March 20





