LOS ANGELES -- Butler senior forward Matt Howard (Connersville, Ind.) was named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 30 list, The Los Angeles Athletic Club announced this afternoon. Howard is lone player in the Horizon League so honored.
Only four players from outside the "Big 6" conferences were named to the list, which is made up of 30 student-athletes who are the frontrunners for the Wooden Award based upon their performance in November and December.
Howard has helped lift Butler to 10-5 mark, ranking second in the Horizon League in both scoring and rebounding with 17.1 ppg and 8.1 rpg, respectively. The 6-foot-8 forward earned MVP honors at the Diamond Head Classic over Christmas after leading the Bulldogs to wins over Utah, Florida State and Washington State.
Howard's teammate, Shelvin Mack, entered the year on the Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 list. Mack is currently averaging 14.4 ppg and 3.5 apg.
All players nationally who excel throughout the season will be evaluated and considered for the official voting ballot released in March. The National Ballot consists of approximately 20 top players who have proven to their universities that they are also making progress toward graduation and maintaining at least a cumulative 2.0 GPA.
Howard is a candidate for his third straight Academic All-America honor and received the NCAA Elite 88 Award at the 2010 Final Four.
The Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced the week of the Elite Eight, with the 35th annual Wooden Award ceremony taking place the weekend of April 8-10, 2011.
Tags: Butler - Men's Basketball
