DeVries Selected to the Wooden Award Preseason Watch List

West Virginia University forward Tucker DeVries was tabbed as one of the top 50 players early in the season.

West Virginia University forward Tucker DeVries. / Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

West Virginia University forward Tucker DeVries has been named to the John Wooden Award Preseason Men’s Top 50 List.

The senior produced a team-high 18 points in the Mountaineers’ season opener against Robert Morris Monday night.

DeVries averaged 21.6 points per game last season and was the only NCAA Division I men’s basketball player to average at least 20.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

The Drake transfer earned the Larry Bird Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year and the MVC Tournament Most Outstanding Player in consecutive seasons and was the first player to claim the honors in back-to-back seasons since Doug McDermott (2012-13).

For his career, DeVries has scored 1,885 points (18.1 ppg), grabbed 591 rebounds (5.7 rpg), dished out 262 assists and has 127 steals, shooting 43.7% of his field goals, 36.0% of his 3-point field goals and 81.1% of his free throws.

John Wooden Award Preseason Men’s Top 50 List

KJ Adams – Kansas

Robbie Avila – Saint Louis

Ace Bailey – Rutgers

Ace Baldwin – Penn State

Oumar Ballo – Indiana

Johni Broome – Auburn

Walther Clayton Jr. – Florida

LJ Cryer – Houston

Johnell Davis - Arkansas

RJ Davis – North Carolina

Tyson Degenhart – Boise State

Tucker DeVries – West Virginia

Hunter Dickinson – Kansas

Eric Dixon – Villanova

VJ Edgecomb – Baylor

Cooper Flagg – Duke

Dawson Garcia – Minnesota

Dylan Harper – Rutgers

Dajuan Harris – Kansas

Coleman Hawkins – Kansas State

Bryce Hopkins – Providence

Josh Hubbard – Mississippi State

Ike Graham – Gonzaga

Kam Jones – Marquette

Ryan Kalkbrenner – Creighton

Alex Karaban – Uconn

Yaxel Lendeborg – UAB

Tamin Lipsey – Iowa State

Caleb Love – Arizona

Augustas Marciulionis – Saint Mary’s

Liam McNeeley – Uconn

Mathew Murrell – Ole Miss

Grant Nelson – Alabama

Ryan Nembhard – Gonzaga

Norchad Omier – Baylor

Cliff Omoruyi – Alabama

Great Osobor – Washington

Tyrese Proctor – Duke

Kadary Richmond – St. Johns

Jeremy Roach – Baylor

J’Wan Roberts – Houston

Jaxson Robinson – Kentucky

Hunter Sallis – Wake Forest

Payton Sandfort – Iowa

Mark Sears – Alabama

Braden Smith – Purdue

AJ Storr – Kansas

Wade Taylor IV – Texas A&M

Bruce Thornton – Ohio State

Zakai Zeigler – Tennessee

John R. Wooden Award

Created in 1976, the Los Angeles Athletic Club John R. Wooden Award ProgramTM hosts the most prestigious honors in college basketball recognizing The Wooden Award® Most Outstanding Player for men and women, The Wooden Award All AmericaTM Teams for men and women and the annual selection of the Wooden Award® Legend of Coaching recipient. Wooden Award® All Americans have proven to their university that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the John R. Wooden Award® as set forth by Coach Wooden and the Wooden Award® Steering Committee, including making progress towards graduation and maintaining at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA. Previous winners include 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 last two year’s (’23 &’24) recipients, Caitlin Clark of Iowa and Zach Edey of Purdue.

Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award® has made charitable gifts of nearly one million dollars in the names of the Wooden Award All American recipients and has sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps. Additionally, the John R. Wooden Award® partners with the Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) each year to host the Wooden Award® Special Olympics basketball day. The event brings together Special Olympics athletes and Wooden Award® All Americans and coaches in attendance. It is hosted at the Los Angeles Athletic Club during the John R. Wooden Award® Weekend.

The Wooden Award Legends of Coaching honoree for 2025 is Mark Few of Gonzaga who will be presented his honor along with the Wooden Award® Men’s and Women’s Players of the Year on April 11, 2025.