Casey Prather Named to the John. R. Wooden Midseason Top 25
Wednesday, January 22, 2014 | Men's Basketball
The Los Angeles Athletic Club has announced its Midseason Top 25 today and Florida senior Casey Prather earned a spot. Chosen by the Wooden Award Advisory Board, the list is comprised of 25 student-athletes who are the front-runners for the sport's most prestigious individual honor based on their play so far this season. ESPNU will follow up at 6 p.m. with a half-hour show focusing on all of the candidates.
Prather, who has scored in double figures in every game he has played this season, posted a career-high scoring night with 28 points in the Gators' season-opening win over UNF and has two additional 27-point performances. He is one of just three UF players under head coach Billy Donovan to notch three 27-point games in a season. This senior forward has led Florida in scoring nine times in his career, eight of those games coming this season alone. Averaging 17.3 points per game, Prather boasts a .636 field-goal percentage that ranks fourth in the nation and tops the SEC.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the official voting ballot, which will consist of approximately 20 top players who have proven to their universities that they are making progress toward graduation and maintaining at least a cumulative 2.0 GPA. The Wooden Award All American Team, consisting of the nation's top 10 players, will be announced the week of the Elite Eight.
Conference play will continue on Saturday as the Gators welcome Tennessee to the Stephen C. O'Connell Center at 7 p.m. Fans can click here to view ticket options and purchase available tickets.
| John R. Wooden Award Presented by Wendy's Midseason Top 25 | |||
| Name | Year | Pos. | School |
| Kyle Anderson | So. | G/F | UCLA |
| Keith Appling | Sr. | G | Michigan State |
| Cameron Bairstow | Sr. | F | New Mexico |
| Jordan Clarkson | Jr. | G | Missouri |
| Aaron Craft | Sr. | G | Ohio State |
| Sam Dekker | So. | F | Wisconsin |
| Cleanthony Early | Sr. | F | Wichita State |
| Tyler Ennis | Fr. | G | Syracuse |
| C.J. Fair | Sr. | F | Syracuse |
| Aaron Gordon | Fr. | F | Arizona |
| Rodney Hood | So. | F | Duke |
| Nick Johnson | Jr. | G | Arizona |
| DeAndre Kane | Sr. | G | Iowa State |
| Doug McDermott | Sr. | F | Creighton |
| Shabazz Napier | Sr. | G | Connecticut |
| Jabari Parker | Fr. | F | Duke |
| Adreian Payne | Sr. | C | Michigan State |
| Casey Prather | Sr. | F | FLORIDA |
| Julius Randle | Fr. | F | Kentucky |
| Marcus Smart | So. | G | Oklahoma State |
| Russ Smith | Sr. | G | Louisville |
| T.J. Warren | So. | F | NC State |
| Andrew Wiggins | Fr. | G | Kansas |
| Chaz Williams | Sr. | G | Massachusetts |
| Joseph Young | Jr. | G | Oregon |
