Gonzaga striker Corey Kispert and Baylor guard Jared Butler, who will try to take his teams to the Elite Eight this weekend, were among the five finalists announced on Friday for the 2021 John R. Wooden award.
Kispert and Butler are the only two active players in the NCAA tournament competing for Wooden, awarded annually to the best college basketball player. Kispert and Gonzaga face Creighton in the western Sweet 16’s on Sunday, and Butler and Baylor face Villanova on Saturday in the southern region.
The other three finalists for 2021 Wooden announced Saturday – Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham, Illinois guard Ayo Dosunmu and Iowa striker Luka Garza – all saw their teams fall in the second round.
Kispert, the WCC Player of the Year, leads the unbeaten Zags with 19.2 points per game, and 4.9 rebounds per contest. The 1.80m senior is shooting 54.5% of the field, 90.1% of the free throw line and 45.8% of the 3.
Butler, who has established himself as the best junior in the country, leads 24-2 Baylor with 16.9 points per game and 2.1 steals per game and is second in the team with 4.8 assists per game.
Also on Friday, 10 players were nominated for the 2021 John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy’s All American Team. The five finalists for Wooden mentioned above join Kofi Cockburn (Illinois), Hunter Dickinson (Michigan), Evan Mobley (USC), Jalen Suggs (Gonzaga) and Drew Timme (Gonzaga), all of whom appeared on the 15 wooden ballot. players announced on March 6.
Five players in the final vote were not named as Wooden finalists or chosen for the Wooden All American team: Charles Bassey of Western Kentucky, Collin Gillespie de Villanova and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Trayce Jackson-Davis of Indiana and EJ Liddell of State of Ohio.