Baylor’s Jackson on Wooden Award Midseason List - kcentv.com - KCEN HD - Waco, Temple, and Killeen

LOS ANGELES – Baylor men's basketball senior point guard Pierre Jackson was selected as one of 25 student-athletes on the 2012-13 John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25, as announced by The Los Angeles Athletic Club on ESPNU Thursday.

The list is made up of 25 student-athletes who, based on their performances in November, December, and the beginning of January, are the frontrunners for college basketball's most prestigious honor. The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the official ballot.

The Wooden Award All American Team, consisting of the nation's top 10 players, will be announced the week of the "Elite Eight" round of the NCAA Tournament. The John R. Wooden Award Player of the Year presented by Wendy's will be announced on ESPN during the Final Four Weekend in Atlanta. The 2013 Wooden Award Gala presented by Wendy's will take place April 11-13, 2013, at The Los Angeles Athletic Club.

A Las Vegas, Nev., native, Jackson leads the Big 12 and ranks 21^st nationally with 19.8 points per game, and he ranks second in the Big 12 and 19^th nationally with 6.3 assists per game. He's the nation's only player ranked in the top 25 in scoring and assists per game.

Jackson has the Big 12 Conference's longest active streak with 22 consecutive games scoring in double figures, averaging 18.9 points and 6.3 assists per game during the streak. His active streak of 26 consecutive games with at least one three-point field goal made is the fifth-longest streak in Baylor history.

Jackson was also named as one of 11 watch list finalists for the Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award on Thursday.

The Big 12 Conference had four players named on the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25: Jackson, Ben McLemore (Kansas), Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State) and Jeff Withey (Kansas). Only the Big East with five players had more selections, while the Big Ten also had four players named.

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 minimum cumulative 2.0 GPA. Previous winners include such notables as Larry Bird ('79), Michael Jordan ('84), Tim Duncan ('97), Candace Parker ('07 and '08), Kevin Durant ('09) and Maya Moore of Connecticut ('09 and ‘11). Kentucky freshman Anthony Davis won the men's Award in 2012.

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 the weekend of the John R. Wooden Award Gala.

Follow the candidates and get the latest news throughout the season by logging on to

www.WoodenAward.com or going to the Wooden Award facebook page at

http://www.facebook.com/WoodenAward.