TheSpread.com

Durant wins Wooden Award
April 7th, 2007

Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Texas' Kevin Durant added another piece of hardware to his collection on Saturday by being named the winner of the John Wooden Award as the most outstanding college basketball player in the nation.

Durant beat out four other finalists -- Texas A&M's Acie Law IV, Ohio State's Greg Oden, North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough and Wisconsin's Alando Tucker -- to become the first freshman to win the Wooden Award, which was first presented in 1977.

Durant completed an incredible season in which he led the Big 12 in scoring (25.8 ppg) and rebounding (11.1 rpg) and was named the Conference Player of the Year.

It's the latest in a series of awards for Durant, who was also honored as the first freshman to win the Naismith and Oscar Robertson trophies. He also was named the winner of the 2007 Adolph F. Rupp Trophy.

Tennessee's Candace Parker, who helped her team to the national championship this year, was named the women's Wooden winner.

The Wooden Award is given to the most outstanding collegiate basketball player in the United States. In addition to on-court performance, voters are supposed to base their selections on each candidate's character and academic performance, essential components of an outstanding player in the eyes of John Wooden, the legendary hoops coach at UCLA and the award's namesake.