Garza, Wieskamp named to Wooden Award Top 50 Watch List
Garza and Wieskamp have been Iowa’s top scorers through two games this season.
Iowa’s Luka Garza pats Joe Wieskamp on the back during the Iowa/UNI men’s basketball game at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018. The Hawkeyes defeated the Panthers, 77-54.
December 1, 2020
Iowa hoops’ Luka Garza has been named to the 2021 John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 Watch List, per a release. Counting this most recent achievement, Garza’s name has now been added to every major preseason All-America and player of the year watch list, including the NABC and Naismith awards.
Through two games this season, the senior center has averaged 33.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and three blocks per game. His efforts earned him Big Ten Player of the Week recognition Nov. 30.
This season, Garza has converted on 86.2 percent of his field goal attempts, 75 percent of his 3-point tries, 87.5 percent of his foul shots, and his 33.5 points per game average is tops in Division I college basketball.
The Washington, D.C., native is also chasing former North Carolina State Wolf Pack member and current Indiana Pacer T.J. Warren’s 19-game streak of scoring 20 points or more. Garza’s streak is currently at 18, tying that of former Oklahoma Sooner and current Atlanta Hawk Trae Young.
Last year, Garza fell short of former Dayton Flyer and current New York Knick Obi Toppin in the race for the Wooden, Naismith, and AP Player of the Year awards. However, Garza was named National Player of the Year by six different media outlets, including ESPN.
Garza’s teammate Joe Wieskamp also appeared on the Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 Watch List. The Muscatine, Iowa, native has averaged 12.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game this season.
Wieskamp, like Garza, is no stranger to preseason accolades. Last month, Wieskamp was one of 20 shooting guards to make the Jerry West Award Watch List. The junior guard also led the Big Ten in free throw shooting last season, pouring in 85.6 percent of his attempts from the stripe.
The Wooden Award is named after 10-time NCAA Tournament winner and legendary UCLA basketball coach John R. Wooden, and has been given to the nation’s best college basketball player since 1976.
The Wooden Award’s final national ballot consists of 15 players. Nearly 1,000 voters located across the country will rank their top 10 prior to the announcement of the winner’s name.
Garza and Wieskamp’s respective pursuits of the Wooden Award will conclude in April when the winner is announced during the NCAA Tournament’s “Elite Eight.”
