The University of Mississippi Athletics
Reed Selected A 2002-03 Wooden Award Candidate Friday
8/2/2002 | Men's Basketball
Aug. 2, 2002
LOS ANGELES - Justin Reed, a junior on the Ole Miss Rebel basketball team, is one of 50 preseason candidates for the 2002-03 John R. Wooden Award, the Wooden Award committee announced Friday. The Wooden Award has annually recognized the nation's "Most Outstanding Collegiate Basketball Player of the Year" since 1977.
This is the second straight year that Reed has been a candidate for college basketball's top honor, as he was also a candidate in 2001-02. Last year, the Jackson, Miss., native became the first Ole Miss player to be a preseason candidate for the Wooden Award, and is now the first Rebel to be a candidate for the honor twice in his career.
In the 1997-98 campaign, Ansu Sesay did not make the preseason list for the honor, but appeared on the mid-season's top 30 list and finished among the top 10 finalists for the award, becoming Ole Miss' first Wooden Award All-American.
Reed is also one of seven Southeastern Conference players among the 2002-03 Wooden Award preseason candidates, joining Mississippi State's Mario Austin, Kentucky's Keith Bogans, Florida's Matt Bonner and Brett Nelson, Alabama's Erwin Dudley and Georgia's Jarvis Hayes.
The 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward enters the 2002-03 campaign with 838 points and 410 boards. He needs 162 points to become the 27th Rebel to reach 1,000 points and 75 rebounds to break into the top 15 on the Ole Miss career rebounding list. A two-time All-SEC performer, Reed was also named to the 2002 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) District 6 second team. Last season, Reed led the Rebels in scoring (14.6 ppg) and rebounding (6.6 rpg). He finished the year ranked among the SEC leaders in scoring (14th), rebounding (9th), field goal percentage (6th) and free throw percentage (3rd).
As a freshman in 2000-01, Reed received the Associated Press (AP) SEC Newcomer of the Year and the league's coaches SEC Freshman of the Year accolades, becoming the first freshman in Ole Miss basketball history to be so honored. He was named to the AP All-SEC third team, Rivals.com Freshman All-America third team and SEC All-Tournament Team.
The Wooden Award winner will be announced on April 13, 2003, and FOX Sports Net will televise the event. For more information on the Wooden Award, its history and this year's candidates, go to www.WoodenAward.com.
The Rebels return four starters and 11 letterwinners from last year's team that posted a 20-11 overall record and earned an NCAA Tournament berth.
