LAWRENCE, Kan. – Four Kansas Jayhawks – Hunter Dickinson, Dajuan Harris Jr., KJ Adams and AJ Storr have been named to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 Watch List, the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced Thursday. Kansas’ four representatives are more than any other school. Baylor and Alabama have three each on the list.
The Kansas contingent is looking to become the third Jayhawk to win the John R. Wooden Award joining Danny Manning (1988) and Frank Mason III (2017).
Dickinson is a two-time Wooden All-American selection in 2021 while at Michigan and in 2024 while at Kansas. The Alexandria, Virginia, center was a 2024 Consensus All-America Second Team, the second time he has earned the honor (2021 at Michigan). Dickinson was a 2024 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Finalist (1 of 5) and on the preseason watch list for the award this season. In 2023-24, Dickinson led the Big 12 in rebounding with a 10.9 rpg, which ranked eighth nationally and he was the only player in the Big 12 to average a double-double in 2023-24 (17.9 ppg, 10.9 rpg). Dickinson is four-time all-conference selection and was the 2024 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. He currently has 2,224 career points and 1,154 career rebounds and is the only active player in NCAA DI with more than 2,200 points and 1,100 rebounds.
Harris has been the starting point guard the past three seasons, including Kansas’ 2022 NCAA National Championship team. The Columbia, Missouri, guard led the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio in 2022 and 2023 and was fourth in 2024. A May 2023 graduate of Kansas, Harris has ranked in the top five in the Big 12 in assists per game each of the last three seasons and has ranked in the top 10 in the Big 12 in steals per game each of the last three seasons. The 2023 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, Harris is a three time All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection and three time Big 12 All-Defensive Team. Harris’ 681 assists are first among NCAA Division I players and his 215 steals are fifth. He is one of only four players in Kansas history to have 600-plus assists (681) and 200-plus steals (215) for his career.
Adams led the Big 12 and was 20th nationally in field goal percentage in 2023-24 at 60.1%. The Austin, Texas, forward has started each of the last two seasons at Kansas and he was the 2023 Big 12 Most Improved Player. A two-time All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection, Adams has improved his scoring all three seasons at Kansas – 1.1 ppg in 2022, 10.6 ppg in 2023, 12.6 ppg in 2024.
Storr is in his first season at Kansas after playing at Wisconsin in 2023-24 and at St. John’s in 2022-23. The Rockford, Illinois, guard was an All-Big Ten Second Team selection in 2024 and member of the 2024 Big Ten Tournament All-Tournament Team. Last season, Storr led Wisconsin with 16.8 points per game, a 43.4 field goal percentage and an 81.2 free throw percentage. At St. John’s, Storr was a member of the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team in 2023.
Chosen by a preseason poll of national college basketball experts, the list is comprised of 50 student-athletes who are the early front runners for one of the most prestigious honors in college basketball, the Wooden Award All-American Team and Most Outstanding Player Award.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2025 John R. Wooden Award® Men’s Player of the Year. Players not chosen to the preseason list are still eligible for the Wooden Award® midseason list, late season list, and the National Ballot. The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award®. Nearly 1,000 voters will rank in order 10 of those 15 players when voting opens prior to the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during Tournament early round games. The Wooden Award All American Team will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2025 John R. Wooden Award, presented by Principal, will be presented at the Los Angeles Athletic Club in April.
