News release from Texas A&M Athletics:
LOS ANGELES – Texas A&M’s Wade Taylor IV was named to the 2024-25 Midseason Top 25 Watch List for the John R. Wooden Award®, presented by Principal, the organization announced on Tuesday.
Taylor, a graduate from Dallas, has been instrumental to the Aggies’ 12-2 start and the team’s No. 10 ranking in the current edition of the Associated Press Top 25. The 6-foot guard leads the Aggies with a 15.8 scoring average and also paces the team in assists (63), 3-pointers (33), free throws (45) and free throw percentage (.900).
He is one of seven power conference guards averaging 15+ points per game, while also posting more than 60 assists and fewer than 30 turnovers (27). Among P5 players scoring 15 or more points per game, Taylor ranked No. 9 nationally in assist/turnover ratio (2.33).
At his best against the best, Taylor averages 16.8 points in 26 career games against AP Top 25 opponents. His 16.8 scoring average ranks No. 3 nationally among active players with more than 20 games against ranked opponents. His four 30+ scoring games vs. ranked opponents is tied for the national lead with Villanova’s Eric Dixon among active players.
Selected by a preseason poll of national college basketball experts, the list comprises 25 student-athletes who are frontrunners for the most prestigious honors in college basketball: the Wooden Award All-American Team™ and the Wooden Award® Most Outstanding Player.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2025 John R. Wooden Award® Men’s Player of the Year. Players not selected for the midseason list remain eligible for inclusion on the Wooden Award® late-season list, and the National Ballot. The National Ballot will feature 15 top players who have demonstrated to their universities that they meet or exceed the Wooden Award® qualifications.
Nearly 1,000 voters will be invited to rank 10 of the 15 players on the ballot in order of preference when voting opens during the NCAA Tournament. Voters will also consider performances in the tournament’s early rounds, players’ contributions to their teams and their character. The Wooden Award All-American Team™ will be announced during the week of the NCAA Tournament’s “Elite Eight.”
The winners and the All Americans of the 2025 John R. Wooden Award®, presented by Principal, will be honored at the Los Angeles Athletic Club on Friday, April 11, 2025.
About the John R. Wooden Award®
Created in 1976, the Los Angeles Athletic Club John R. Wooden Award Program™ represents the pinnacle of honors in college basketball. It recognizes the Wooden Award® Most Outstanding Player for both men and women, the Wooden Award All-America™ Teams for both men and women, and annually selects the Wooden Award® Legend of Coaching recipient. Wooden Award® All-Americans have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the standards of the John R. Wooden Award®, as set forth by Coach Wooden and the Wooden Award® Steering Committee. These qualifications include progress toward graduation and maintaining at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA.
Previous recipients include legends such as Larry Bird (’79), Michael Jordan (’84), Tim Duncan (’97), Kevin Durant (’07), Candace Parker (’07, ’08), Maya Moore (’09, ’11), Breanna Stewart (’15, ’16), and the most recent winners, Caitlin Clark of Iowa (’23, ’24) and Zach Edey of Purdue (’23, ’24).
Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award® has contributed nearly one million dollars in charitable gifts in the names of its All-American recipients and has sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps. Wooden Award All-Americans are invited to celebrate their personal charitable efforts, for which the John R. Wooden Award Foundation will make charitable gifts in support of the character of the student. Additionally, the John R. Wooden Award® partners annually with Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) to host the Wooden Award® Special Olympics Basketball Day. This event unites Special Olympics athletes with Wooden Award® All-Americans and coaches during Wooden Award® Weekend at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.
The 2025 Wooden Award® Legends of Coaching honoree is Mark Few of Gonzaga, who will receive his award alongside the 2025 Wooden Award® Men’s and Women’s Players of the Year on April 11, 2025.
John R. Wooden Award® Midseason Top 25
Alphabetical
Airious “Ace” Bailey | Rutgers
Johni Broome | Auburn
Walter Clayton Jr. | Florida
RJ Davis | North Carolina
Hunter Dickinson | Kansas
Eric Dixon | Villanova
Jeremiah Fears | Oklahoma
Cooper Flagg | Duke
Keshon Gilbert | Iowa St
PJ Haggerty | Memphis
Dylan Harper | Rutgers
Josh Hubbard | Mississippi State
Kasparas Jakučionis | Illinois
Tre Johnson | Texas
Kam Jones | Marquette
Ryan Kalkbrenner | Creighton
Alex Karaban | UConn
Chaz Lanier | Tennessee
Ryan Nembhard | Gonzaga
Derik Queen | Maryland
Maxime Raynaud | Stanford
Mark Sears | Alabama
Braden Smith | Purdue
Wade Taylor IV | Texas A & M
Zakai Zeigler | Tennessee