LOS ANGELES – Clemson University men’s basketball’s PJ Hall (Spartanburg, S.C./Dorman) was named to the John R. Wooden Preseason Top 50 Watch List, presented by Principal.
Chosen by a preseason poll of national college basketball experts, the list is comprised of 50 student-athletes who are the early front-runners for the most prestigious honors in college basketball, the Wooden Award All American Team and Most Outstanding Player Award.
The Tigers are one of five ACC schools to have at least one member on the Preseason Top 50.
Hall is one of 41 upperclassmen on the early list and through three games this season is averaging 21.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. He recently earned Tournament MVP honors, leading the Tigers to two wins and a championship at the 2023 Asheville Championship.
The highly decorated senior center is the first Clemson player to open a season with consecutive 20-point games since Will Solomon in 1999-00. Horace Grant was the only other player to accomplish this feat since 1976-77. He opened his senior season in 1986-87 with 30 against Georgia State and 27 against Boston University.
With 64 points scored through three games, Hall now sits 35th on Clemson’s all-time scoring list with 1,107 career points.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2024 John R. Wooden Award Men’s Player of the Year presented by Principal. Players not chosen to the preseason list are still eligible for the Wooden Award™ midseason list, late season list, and the National Ballot. The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award. Nearly 1,000 voters will rank in order 10 of those 15 players when voting opens prior to the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during early round games. The Wooden Award All American Team™ will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2024 John R. Wooden Award will be presented in Los Angeles in April.
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