CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia’s Sam Hauser (Stevens Point, Wis.) was one of 50 players named to the watch list for the 2021 John Wooden Award presented by Wendy’s announced Tuesday (Dec. 1).
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2021 John R. Wooden Award Men’s Player of the Year presented by Wendy’s. Players not chosen to the preseason list are still eligible for the Wooden Award™ midseason list, late season list, and the National Ballot. 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.
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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 Team™ will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2021 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Wendy’s following the NCAA Tournament in April.
Hauser, who is averaging a team-best 14.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in 2020-21, sat out last season after playing three seasons at Marquette. As a junior in 2018-19, Hauser averaged 14.9 points and 7.2 rebounds en route to All-BIG EAST second-team honors. Hauser shot 45.9 percent from the field, 40.2 percent from 3-point range and led the BIG EAST in free throw percentage at 92.4 percent. Hauser averaged 14.1 points and 5.7 rebounds in 35 games as a sophomore in 2017-18 and 8.8 points and 5.0 rebounds as a true freshman in 2016-17.