Jimmer Fredette added to his growing list of accolades on Saturday as he picked up the 35th annual John R. Wooden award, given to the nation's best college basketball player. Fredette, who was already named the Associated Press Player of the Year, was joined by Kemba Walker, Jared Sullinger, Derrick Williams and Nolan Smith at the ceremony, held at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.
2011 Wooden Award: Jimmer Fredette, Maya Moore Take Home Player Of The Year Honors
Fredette edged Kemba Walker, picking up 3,761 votes to Walker’s 3,356. When asked to pick his favorite quote, an exercise all five finalists participated in, Fredette chose one of the more famous Wooden-isms about character.
Fredette’s selection was: “The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.”
“I really took it to heart,” he told the audience. “When you get better as a basketball player is in the offseason. You work hard without all the media attention and no one watching. It’s all about that drive and all about that character when no one is watching.”
Not surprisingly, UConn’s Maya Moore took home the Wooden Award as the best college basketball player on the women’s side for the second straight year. Moore, a dominant force for the Huskies, joined Seimone Augustus and Candace Parker as two-time winners of the award by edging Baylor’s Brittney Griner. Moore garnered 678 votes, followed by Griner at 566 and Gonzaga’s Courtney Vandersloot, who picked up 283 votes.
For more on Fredette, head over to SB Nation’s BYU blog, Vanquish the Foe. For more on Maya Moore and the Huskies, check out SB Nation’s The UConn Blog.
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