Oct. 3, 2011

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LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- - University of Memphis sophomores Will Barton and Joe Jackson have been named to the 2011-12 John R. Wooden Award preseason top-50 watch list, The Los Angeles Athletic Club Wooden Award Committee announced Monday. The Wooden Award has been given to the nation's top collegiate player annually since 1976.

As a freshman in 2010-11, Barton led the Tigers in scoring with a 12.3 average and was second on the team in rebounding at 4.9 rpg. The 6-foot-6 guard also handed out 99 assists and was second on the squad with 54 steals. He shot 42.8 percent from the floor and 69.9 percent from the free throw line.

The Baltimore, Md., native was named to the All-Conference USA third team and the Conference USA All-Freshman Team in 2010-11. This past summer, Barton participated in Chris Paul's Elite Guard Camp, which was held in North Carolina.

Last season, Jackson was the Tigers' second-leading scorer at 9.9 ppg and was also second on the team with 109 assists. The 6-foot guard also averaged 2.1 rebounds and collected 35 steals (fourth on squad). He shot 43.1 percent from the field and 72.6 percent from the charity stripe (second on team).

The Memphis, Tenn., native saved his best play for the 2011 postseason, averaging 16.5 points and 3.0 assists in the three Conference USA Tournament games and one NCAA Tournament contest. Jackson, who netted double figures in all four postseason appearances, scored a career-high 24 points versus East Carolina in the C-USA Tournament semifinal. The following day, Jackson had 17 points, seven assists and three rebounds in the Tigers' 67-66 victory over UTEP in the C-USA Tournament title game. He netted 12 of his 17 points in the final 10:17 of the game, including the two championship-winning free throws with only 7.8 seconds left on the clock. For his outstanding play, Jackson was named the C-USA Tournament MVP.

Over the summer, Jackson helped lead USA Basketball to a fifth-place finish (7-2 record) at the FIBA U19 World Championships in Latvia. Jackson averaged 11.6 points, 4.1 assists and 3.0 rebounds for Team USA.

The Wooden Award preseason list is composed of 50 student-athletes who, based on last year's individual performance and team records, are the early frontrunners for college basketball's most coveted trophy. These top 50 candidates are comprised of returning players.

Transfers, freshmen and medical redshirts are not eligible for this preseason list, but will be evaluated and considered for both the midseason top-30 list and the national ballot. Players not on the preseason list are eligible for the midseason top-30 and ballot.

In January, the Wooden Award committee will release the midseason top-30 list, followed by the distribution of the national ballot to more than 1,000 voters in early March. The 10-player Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced the Tuesday after the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament is completed.

The 2012 Award ceremony, which will include the presentation of the Men's and Women's John R. Wooden Awards, the Wooden Award All-American Teams, and the Legends of Coaching Award, will be held at The Los Angeles Athletic Club the weekend of Apr. 6-8, 2012.

The top five male and female finalists will be invited to Los Angeles for the Award's ceremony and will receive a contribution from The Los Angeles Athletic Club for their university's general scholarship fund. One of the five players will be named the John R. Wooden Award Player of the Year at a live televised announcement from The Club where he is awarded the prestigious five-figured bronze trophy.