Purdue juniors Robbie Hummel and E'Twaun Moore have been named two of 50 preseason candidates for the 2009-10 men's basketball John R. Wooden Award All-American Team and Player of the Year trophy.
Hummel, who won a bronze medal at the World University Games with USA Basketball in Belgrade, Serbia, this summer, was also listed among the top 50 players prior to the 2008-09 season. He enters his third year at Purdue with career averages of 11.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
Hummel's classmate Moore, who has led the Boilers in scoring in each of his first two seasons, is coming off a sophomore year in which he averaged 13.8 points per game and 4.6 rebounds. He has appeared in all of Purdue's 71 games over the course of his first two seasons in West Lafayette, including 37 starts, and has career averages of 13.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
Purdue is one of nine schools to have teammates placed on the preseason top 50.
The Boilermakers open the 2009-10 season with an exhibition game against California of Pennsylvania in Mackey Arena on Nov. 11.
About the John R. Wooden Award
Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. It is bestowed upon the nation's best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his or her university that he or she is making progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA. Previous winners include such notables as Larry Bird ('79), Michael Jordan ('84), Tim Duncan ('97), and Blake Griffin ('09). Candace Parker of Tennessee won the Women's Wooden Award in 2007 and 2008.
Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed close to a million dollars to universities' general scholarship fund in the names of the All-American recipients. The Award has also sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps in the Award's name. Additionally, the John R. Wooden Award partners with Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) each year to host the Wooden Award Special Olympics Southern California Basketball Tournament. The day-long tournament, which brings together Special Olympic athletes and the All-Americans, takes place at The Los Angeles Athletic Club on the Friday prior to the John R. Wooden Award Ceremony.