UCLA’s Ball, Leaf, Alford, Welsh make mid-season award lists

Lonzo Ball and TJ Leaf are in the running for several of college basketball’s top awards

Naismith Men’s College Basketball Player of the Year
Freshman Lonzo Ball was the only UCLA representative on the 50-player preseason watch list for college basketball’s most prestigious award. The Bruins freshman point guard will almost assuredly be one of the 30 players on the mid-season watch list when it’s announced on Thursday. He was one of six Pac-12 players on the preseason list along with Waghington’s Markelle Fultz, Cal’s Ivan Rabb, Arizona’s Lauri Markkanen and Oregon’s Dillon Brooks and Chris Boucher.

As a pass-first point guard, Ball will largely be judged on UCLA’s win total and the Bruins aren’t too shabby in that department with 20 victories in their first 23 games. The 6-foot-6 freshman is the only player in the country averaging at least 10 points, seven assists and four rebounds. Ball’s actual averages are 14.8 points, eight assists and 5.8 rebounds.

TJ Leaf was added to the Wooden award watch list at the mid-season mark


John R. Wooden Award (Player of the Year)
Ball and classmate TJ Leaf are two of 25 to crack the mid-season watch list for an award that carries plenty of weight in Westwood – it’s sponsored by the Los Angeles Athletic Club. It was no surprise that Ball was among the preseason top 50 for the award. Leaf, however, was not.

The committee gave a nod to Leaf’s particularly high level of play through the freshman’s first 17 games, adding the 6-foot-10 forward to the pool of candidates on Jan. 11 while subtracting more than 25 from the preseason list. Leaf is averaging a team-high 17 points and 8.9 rebounds. He is shooting 64 percent from the field, the 19th-best mark in the country.

The complete John R. Wooden Award Mid-Season Watch List:
Dwayne Bacon, Florida State, Soph., G
Lonzo Ball, UCLA, Fr., G
Joel Berry II, North Carolina, Jr., G
Jaron Blossomgame, Clemson, Sr., F
Dillon Brooks, Oregon, Jr., F
De’Aaron Fox, Kentucky, Fr., G
Markelle Fultz, Washington, Fr., G
Ethan Happ, Wisconsin, Soph., F
Josh Hart, Villanova, Sr., G
Nigel Hayes, Wisconsin, Sr., F
Josh Jackson, Kansas, Fr., G
Justin Jackson, North Carolina, Jr., F/G
Luke Kennard, Duke, Soph., G
TJ Leaf, UCLA, Fr., F
Lauri Markkanen, Arizona, Fr., F
Kelan Martin, Butler, Jr., F
Frank Mason III, Kansas, Sr., G
Malik Monk, Kentucky, Fr., G
Monte Morris, Iowa State, Sr., G
Johnathan Motley, Baylor, Jr., F
Alec Peters, Valparaiso, Sr., F
Caleb Swanigan, Purdue, Soph., F
Melo Trimble, Maryland, Jr., G
Maurice Watson Jr., Creighton, Sr., G
Nigel Williams-Goss, Gonzaga, Jr., G

Bryce Alford is one of 10 on the mid-season watch list for the Jerry West award


Jerry West Award (Shooting Guard of the Year)
In his first season at his new position, UCLA senior Bryce Alford is one of just 10 players on the mid-season watch list for college basketball’s best shooting guard. Alford had the second-highest 3-point percentage (45.6) of the 10 remaining candidates when the list was announced on Tuesday, but his 16.6 points per game and 48.5 shooting percentage each ranked sixth.

Alford tied his and Jason Kapono’s school record of nine 3-pointers in a single game when he scored 37 points in a win over Colorado on Jan. 12. He could easily finish his career fifth on UCLA’s all-time scoring list.

The complete Jerry West Award Mid-Season Watch List
Bryce Alford, UCLA, Sr.
James Blackmon Jr., Indiana, Jr.
Jacob Evans, Cincinnati, So.
Marcus Foster, Creighton, Jr.
Devonte’ Graham, Kansas, Jr.
Peter Jok, Iowa, Sr.
Luke Kennard, Duke, So.
Jordan Mathews, Gonzaga, Sr.
Malik Monk, Kentucky, Fr.
Steve Vasturia, Notre Dame, Sr.

Thomas Welsh made the mid-season watch list for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar award


Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (Center of the Year)
Thomas Welsh is overshadowed on a guard-oriented team, but the UCLA junior has still managed to distinguished himself as one of 10 players on the mid-season watch list for the nation’s best center announced Friday.

Welsh certainly has his work cut out to win the award as his averages of 10.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game rank 10th, seventh and third, respectively. But as the sixth or seventh option on a talented team, the 7-footer has played his role admirably and has even make some of the Bruins’ most significant shots of the season.

The complete Kareem Abdul-Jabbad Mid-Season Watch List
Tacko Fall, Central Florida, So.
Ethan Happ, Wisconsin, So.
Josh Hawkinson, Washington State, Sr.
Przemek Karnowski, Gonzaga, Sr.
Tim Kempton, Lehigh, Sr.
Jock Landle, Saint Mary’s, Jr.
Yante Maten, Georgia, Jr.
Erik Mika, BYU, So.
Justin Patton, Creighton, Fr.
Thomas Welsh, UCLA, Jr.

Lonzo Ball has plenty of competition for the point guard of the year award


Bob Cousy Award (Point Guard of the Year)
This group is being hailed as perhaps the best draft class of point guards ever. In other words, among 10 on the mid-season watch list, Ball has ample competition. The one clear edge for Ball is that he is averaging 1.5 more assists than the closest competitor, but nobody is a shoe-in for this award considering a field that may include three of the top four picks in the 2017 NBA draft.

Washington Freshman Markelle Fultz is averaging the most points (23.3) and even edges Ball for the most rebounds (6.1 to 5.8), but his team will finish well behind UCLA in the Pac-12. Kansas’ Frank Mason III may be leading the best team on the list, but UCLA isn’t far behind the Jayhawks in that respect.

The complete Bob Cousy Award Mid-Season Watch List
Lonzo Ball, UCLA, Fr.
Joel Berry II, North Carolina, Jr.
Jalen Brunson, Villanova, So.
De’Aaron Fox, Kentucky, Fr.
Markelle Fultz, Washington, Fr.
Frank Mason III, Kansas, Sr.
Monte Morris, Iowa State, Sr.
Dennis Smith, Jr., N.C. State, Fr.
Melo Trimble, Maryland, Jr.
Nigel Williams-Goss, Gonzaga, R-Jr.

TJ Leaf’s shooting percentage may earn him the Karl Malone award


Karl Malone Award (Power forward of the Year)
Leaf was one of 10 named to the mid-season watch list on Thursday, but he has plenty of competition just in his own conference. Lauri Markkanen out-played Leaf in Arizona’s win over UCLA Jan. 21 and Cal’s Ivan Rabb had 17 points and a career-high 20 rebounds when Cal visited Pauley Pavilion Jan. 5.

Leaf’s point and rebound averages rank in the middle of the pack, but there is a Grand Canyon-sized gap between Leaf’s field goal percentage and the rest of the field. The closest competitor is Purdue’s Caleb Swanigan (55.2%), who trails Leaf (63.7%) by 8.5 percentage points. Leaf is also shooting 47 percent from 3-point range, but Markkanen, Arizona’s 7-foot Finnish freshman, is shooting 50 percent with 110 attempts to Leaf’s 44.

The complete Karl Malone Award Mid-Season Watch List
Miles Bridges, Michigan State, Fr.
Bonzie Colson, Notre Dame, Jr.
Dedric Lawson, Memphis, So.
TJ Leaf, UCLA, Fr.
Lauri Markannen, Arizona, Fr.
Johnathan Motley, Baylor, Jr.
Alec Peters, Valparaiso, Sr.
Ivan Rabb, California, So.
Caleb Swanigan, Purdue, So.
Michael Young, Pittsburgh, Sr.