Ellis Named to Wooden Award Preseason Top 50

Wooden Award presented by Wendy’s Top 50 List

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas senior forward Perry Ellis has been named to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50, the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced Tuesday.

A native of Wichita, Kansas, Ellis is appearing on the Wooden preseason list for the second straight season. He is one of seven Big 12 Conference student-athletes on the list chosen by a preseason poll of national college basketball experts.

The 2015 Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year, preseason unanimous all-conference selection and 2015 Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention, Ellis is Kansas’ leading returning scorer (13.8 ppg) and rebounder (6.9 rpg) from 2014-15. Additionally, last season Ellis was the only player in the Big 12 to rank in the top seven in scoring (7th), field goal percentage (7th at 45.7) and rebounding (4th) as he was named the league player of the week three times.

A two-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree, Ellis is No. 37 on the KU career scoring list with 1,173 points and No. 24 on the KU all-time rebound list with 614 boards. He is on pace to become only the eighth Jayhawk in school history to rank in the top 15 of both joining the likes of Danny Manning, Nick Collison, Raef LaFrentz, Clyde Lovellette, Dave Robisch, Mark Randall and Wayne Simien.

The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2016 John R. Wooden Award. The Wooden Award National Advisory Board will select 25 players to the Midseason Top 25 in early January. In early February, the John R. Wooden Award will announce one final leading candidate list—the Late Season Top 20—prior to the selection of 15 players for its national ballot.

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