Bradley Beal Named to Wayman Tisdale Award Preseason Watch List
Thursday, October 20, 2011 | Men's Basketball
Florida freshman guard Bradley Beal (St. Louis, Mo.) has been named to the Wayman Tisdale Award preseason watch list, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association announced on Thursday. The USBWA has named the nation's top freshman since the 1988-89 season, and the award was renamed last season in honor of the former Oklahoma All-American.
Beal, the 2011 Gatorade National Player of the Year, averaged 32.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game as a senior at Chaminade Prep and was the Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year in 2000 and 2011. He is the 14th McDonald's All-American signed by UF head coach Billy Donovan.
The 6-foot-3 Gator guard is one of 12 players named to the watch list, joining Chane Behanan (Louisville), Khem Birch (Pittsburgh), Anthony Davis (Kentucky), Andre Drummond (Connecticut), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Kentucky), Le'Bryan Nash (Oklahoma State), Austin Rivers (Duke), Marquis Teague (Kentucky), Adonis Thomas (Memphis), Josiah Turner (Arizona) and Cody Zeller (Indiana).
The late Wayman Tisdale was a three-time USBWA All-American at the University of Oklahoma. Following a stint on the 1984 U.S. Olympic basketball team, he played 12 seasons in the NBA before retiring in 1997 to focus on a blossoming jazz music career. In March 2007, he was diagnosed with cancer and, following a courageous and difficult battle that included the amputation of his right leg in 2008, he passed away in May 2009.
All-Time USBWA National Freshmen of the Year
| 1989 | Chris Jackson, LSU |
| 1990 | Kenny Anderson, Georgia Tech |
| 1991 | Rodney Rogers, Wake Forest |
| 1992 | Chris Webber, Michigan |
| 1993 | Jason Kidd, California |
| 1994 | Joe Smith, Maryland |
| 1995 | None selected |
| 1996 | None selected |
| 1997 | None selected |
| 1998 | Larry Hughes, Saint Louis |
| 1999 | Quentin Richardson, DePaul |
| 2000 | Jason Gardner, Arizona |
| 2001 | Eddie Griffin, Seton Hall |
| 2002 | T.J. Ford, Texas |
| 2003 | Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse |
| 2004 | Luol Deng, Duke |
| 2005 | Marvin Williams, North Carolina |
| 2006 | Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina |
| 2007 | Kevin Durant, Texas |
| 2008 | Michael Beasley, Kansas State |
| 2009 | Tyreke Evans, Memphis |
| 2010 | John Wall, Kentucky |
| 2011 | Jared Sullinger, Ohio State |
