Michigan sophomore guard Tim Hardaway Jr. on John Wooden Award Preseason Top 50

Posted on Mon, Oct 3, 2011 : 2:12 p.m.

Michigan sophomore guard Tim Hardaway Jr. on John Wooden Award Preseason Top 50

By Nick Baumgardner

Michigan basketball sophomore guard Tim Hardaway Jr. was one of 50 players named to the 2011-12 John Wooden Award watch list Monday.

Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) is one of nine Big Ten players on the 50-member John Wooden Award watch list.

AnnArbor.com file photo

The Wooden Award is annually given to the nation's top individual player and is presented by the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

Hardaway, the son of former NBA point guard Tim Hardaway, earned an All-Big Ten honorable mention nod last season as a freshman. He is Michigan's top returning scorer this season after averaging 13.9 points in 2010-11.

The 6-foot-5, 185-pound Hardaway is one of nine Big Ten players to make the preseason watch list.

Joining him are Ohio State's Jared Sullinger, Aaron Craft and William Buford, Minnesota's Trevor Mbakwe, Wisconsin's Jordan Taylor, Purdue's Robbie Hummel, Northwestern's John Shurna and Michigan State's Draymond Green.

The Wooden Award will be presented for the 36th time during the weekend of April 6 at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

Nick Baumgardner covers Michigan basketball for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2514, by email at nickbaumgardner@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @nickbaumgardner.