Garza Named To Wooden Award List

Iowa junior center Luka Garza was named to the John R. Wooden Award midseason Top 25 on Wednesday night.

The announcement was made by the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

The announcement comes one day after Garza was named one of 30 finalists for the Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award.

Garza is one of six Big Ten five players to make their debut on the Wooden list after not being named on the Preseason Top 50.

The 6-foot-11 Garza is the only player in the nation averaging better than 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. Garza, the Big Ten scoring leader, ranks eighth in NCAA Division I in points per game (22.1), seventh in double-doubles (9) and 13th in rebounds per game (10.7). Garza has 331 points this season, the most by a Hawkeye after the first 15 games of a season since Fred Brown’s 422 in 1970-71.

Garza, who leads the Hawkeyes in 10 statistical categories this season, became the 27th player in program history with 1,000 points and 500 rebounds after getting a career-high 18 rebounds in Tuesday’s 76-70 at Nebraska.