Nov. 8, 2012

LOS ANGELES - California junior guard Allen Crabbe was named to the Preseason Top 50 list for the John Wooden Award for the second-straight season, the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced on Thursday.

Allen is one of just nine current players in the country named to the list in consecutive years. He is one of four Pac-12 players - Arizona's Solomon Hill, Washington State's Brock Motum and Colorado's André Roberson were the others - on the list, chosen by college basketball media members.

A First Team All-Pac-12 selection last season, Crabbe led Cal in scoring (15.2 ppg.), rebounding (5.7 rpg.), defensive rebounding (4.0 rpg.), three-point field goals made (83), three-point field goals attempted (208) and free-throw percentage (.843) in 2011-12. He ranked among the Pac-12 leaders in three-point field goals made (first), free-throw percentage (second), defensive rebounding (fifth), scoring (sixth), three-point field goal percentage (10th) and rebounding (14th) as a sophomore. The guard scored in double figures in 28 games, with 20 points or more in seven contests. He enters the 2012-13 season just 70 points shy of the prestigious 1,000-point milestone for his Cal career.

The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the midseason list and the official voting ballot. The National Ballot consists of approximately 20 top players who have proven to their universities that they are also 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" round of the NCAA Tournament.

The 37th annual Wooden Award ceremony will honor the Men's and Women's Wooden Award winners, and will include the presentation of the Wooden Award All American Teams and the Legends of Coaching Award, which Cal head coach Mike Montgomery was honored with in 2004. The event will take place the weekend of April 12-13, 2013.

For the complete list of players named to the John R. Wooden Award top 50 preseason list, click here.

Cal opens the season this Sunday, Nov. 11 against CSU Bakersfield at 7 p.m. at Haas Pavilion. For tickets to Sunday's season opener click here. The game will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks with radio coverage on NewsTalk 910 AM.