LOS ANGELES – Senior N’Faly Dante was one of 50 players nationally named to the 2024 Wooden Award watch list on Tuesday.
Chosen by a preseason poll of national college basketball experts, the list is comprised of 50 student-athletes who are the early front-runners for the most prestigious honors in college basketball, the Wooden Award All American Team™ and Most Outstanding Player Award.
Dante started the season recording his 16th career double-double with a career-high 21 rebounds and 16 points in the season opening win over Georgia. The 21 rebounds were the most by a Ducks player since Gerald Willett grabbed 21 against Duquesne in 1974. The Bamako, Mali native put up career averages last season, posting 13.5 points, 18.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. He also entered the season as a preseason All-Pac-12 first team member, as well as a member of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar watch list for center of the year.
Oregon players named to the preseason Wooden Award watch list include Will Richardson (2021), Payton Pritchard (2020), Dillon Brooks (2017), Aaron Brooks (2007) and Greg Ballard (1977).
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2024 John R. Wooden Award Men’s Player of the Year presented by Principal. 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. 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 2024 John R. Wooden Award will be presented in Los Angeles in April.
