Photo: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Caitlin Clark and Zach Edey accepted their second consecutive Wooden Awards as college basketball's most outstanding women's and men's players Friday evening at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.
Clark led NCAA Division I players in scoring, averaging 31.6 points, and assists, 8.9 per game, the first player to finish first in both categories in back-to-back seasons, leading Iowa to the championship game for the second consecutive season.
The 6-foot tall guard completed her career as the greatest scorer in NCAA Division I history, male or female, with 3,951 points in 139 games over four seasons, topping the previous record of 3,667 points in 83 games from 1967- 70 by the late Pete Maravich of LSU, before the adoption of the 3-point shot.
Clark is the seventh back-to-back winner of the Wooden Award and first since then-Oregon guard Sabrina Ionescu won in 2019 and 2020. The award has been presented annually since 2004.
Voting took place from March 19-26, before the start of the Sweet 16, by a national collection of voters who cover the sport and past winners. The winner was announced Tuesday on a broadcast of ESPN's "SportsCenter."
Edey led Division I in scoring, averaging 25.2 points, and was second in rebounding with 12.2 per game, leading Purdue to the championship game for the first time since 1969.
The 7-foot-4 Chinese Canadian center is the second men's back-to-back winner, joining then-Virginia center Ralph Sampson, the 1982 and 1983 winner. The award has been presented annually since 1977.
Voting took place from March 18-25, before the start of the Sweet 16, by a national collection of voters who cover the sport and past winners. The winner was announced Wednesday on a broadcast of "SportsCenter."
As insisted upon by the late UCLA coach John Wooden at the men's award's creation in 1976, all players considered for the ballot were certified by their universities as meeting or exceeding the academic criteria of the award.
John Calipari received the John R. Wooden Award "Legends of Coaching" honor for a career in which he is one of two coaches to lead three schools to the men's Final Four. The other is Rick Pitino.
Calipari's hiring to replace new USC coach Eric Musselman as Arkansas' coach was announced Wednesday.
Calipari was Kentucky's coach the previous 15 seasons, guiding the Wildcats to 12 NCAA tournaments in the 14 seasons it was held -- the 2020 tournament was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic -- four Final Four berths, two championship game appearances and the 2012 title.
Calipari began his college head coaching career in 1988 at Massachusetts, guiding the Minutemen to the 1996 Final Four. The appearance was vacated by the NCAA because center Marcus Camby had accepted about $28,000 worth of gifts from two sports agents who were luring him to enter the NBA draft.
The university was allowed to keep 55% of its revenue from the tournament because it did not know during the tournament Camby had accepted the gifts.
Calipari coached Memphis from 2000-09, guiding the Tigers to six NCAA tournament berths, including the 2008 championship game. That appearance was vacated by the NCAA after it ruled star Derrick Rose had played the season while academically ineligible because his SAT score was ruled invalid.
Calipari was not directly implicated or penalized.
The award was adopted by the Wooden Award Steering Committee in 1999. The honorees are selected based on character, success on the court, graduation rate of student-athletes in their basketball program, coaching philosophy, and identification with the goals of the John R. Wooden Award, according to organizers.
"Coach John Calipari has been a significant part of the Wooden Award experience, dating back to his first head coaching assignment at UMass," Sam Lagana, chairman of the Wooden Award Steering Committee, said in a statement released Oct. 3 when Calipari was announced as the recipient of the award in connection with the Los Angeles Athletic Club's annual Wooden Award Tip-Off Luncheon.
"He has supported the award and stood with his candidates and winners every step of the way. Coach Wooden had an appreciation for Coach Cal that carried through the years and Coach Calipari has demonstrated great reverence for Coach Wooden as both shared a `players first' mentality, with emphasis on care for the student-athlete and in the value of competitive greatness.
"John Calipari is a wonderful addition to the fraternity of Wooden Award `Legends of Coaching' recipients."