Isaiah Wong Up For Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award
During a season in which senior guard Isaiah Wong has been the catalyst for the Miami Hurricanes numerous times, the award opportunities have kept on coming.
He’s been listed as one of 15 players for the John Wooden Award, plus being a finalist for the Jerry West Award, and being named ACC Player of the Year.
The Wooden Award goes to the nation’s most outstanding player, while the West Award has been designated for the top shooting guard. Now Wong has been given the opportunity to be included as a potential winner for another award.
Like the Wooden Award, the Lute Olson Award will be given to the nation’s top college basketball player.
The honors just keep racking up for Isaiah Wong 👏📈@zaywong21 is a finalist for the Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award.
— Canes Men’s Basketball (@CanesHoops) March 9, 2023
More: https://t.co/iuNJczaWJV pic.twitter.com/YEl3OVdpKM
Wong has been unique with his overall skill set to help earn the award. A player that’s been known to hit 3-point shots, Wong’s jump shooting certainly helped him during his time in Coral Gables and especially this season with 52 makes from behind the arc. That’s the beginning of his offensive abilities.
Wong has shown his explosiveness by driving by quality defenders, as well as being crafty with making shots near the rim against much larger big men in the paint. Overall, Wong has averaged 16 points per game this season.
He’s also a willing passer, with 3.5 assists per game. That’s tops on the Miami roster. He’s battled for rebounds as well, having averaged 4.3 per contest. Combining those last two categories helped Wong and the Canes defeat Pittsburgh.
His last-minute rebound and subsequent long outlet pass to Jordan Miller for a dunk was important for the Canes to fend off Pittsburgh last Saturday 78-76. Finally, Wong deserves credit for the other end of the court.
Not many top scorers relish the chance to take on top opposing offensive threats; Wong has accepted those challenges and been a part of many critical defensive plays for the Canes.
Wong has an average of 1.4 steals per contest, ranking him No. 9 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Miami has one of college basketball players in Wong, and him making the list for the Olson Award, and others, has been well deserved.
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