Niang is a Wooden Award finalist

The following is a press release courtesy of Iowa State athletics communications. 

LOS ANGELES – Iowa State junior Georges Niang is one of 15 players on the final ballot of the John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy’s. The 15 players selected are frontrunners for college basketball’s most prestigious honor. All balloted players have proven to their universities that they are making progress toward graduation and are maintaining at least a cumulative 2.0 GPA.

Voting begins March 16, and voters, consisting of nearly 1,000 members of the national college basketball media, may take into consideration the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

Niang is one of 16 players nationally averaging 15 points, five rebounds and three assists. He’s the only junior in the country with 1,400 points, 450 rebounds and 275 assists in his career.

Niang and Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield represent the Big 12 on the 15-player list.

2014-15 John R. Wooden Award Ballot

Ron Baker, Wichita State

Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia

Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky

Rakeem Christmas, Syracuse

Jerian Grant, Notre Dame

Tyler Haws, BYU

Buddy Hield, Oklahoma

Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin

Georges Niang, Iowa State

Jahlil Okafor, Duke

Bobby Portis, Arkansas

D’Angelo Russell, Ohio State

Seth Tuttle, Northern Iowa

Kyle Wiltjer, Gonzaga

Delon Wright, Utah