ORLANDO – UTSA junior guard Keaton Wallace has been named to the preseason Watch List for the 2019-20 Lute Olson Award, given annually to the nation's top division 1 player, it was announced.
Wallace, a native of Dallas, Texas, is one of 40 players on the preseason listing of the award. A product of Richardson High School, Wallace is one of two Conference USA student-athletes on the list, joining Western Kentucky's Charles Bassey.
Congratulations to Keaton Wallace, named to the watch list for the Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award! #BirdsUp 🤙
— UTSA Basketball (@UTSAMBB) November 6, 2019
🔗 https://t.co/M4Q9uJxCSB pic.twitter.com/s36es94dpg
A 6-foot-3 guard, Wallace is coming off a season where he averaged 20.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game as a sophomore. He was named first-team NABC All-District and All-Conference USA in 2018-19, while teaming with Jhivvan Jackson to form the nation's highest scoring backcourt duo. The pair averaged 43.1 points per game as sophomores, the fourth-highest duo in the nation. He shattered UTSA's single-season school record with 121 made 3-pointers in 2018-19 and enters UTSA's second game of the year needing just two 3-pointers to break the career record.
Wallace had 17 points in UTSA season lidlifter on Tuesday at Oklahoma, adding nine rebounds and four assists. In his career, Wallace has averaged 15.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game over 68 outings.
The Roadrunners return to action on Friday, opening the Sunshine Classic at 6:30 p.m. in Kissimmee, Fla., with Southern Illinois.
The award is named in honor of Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson, who won 776 games in 34 seasons, 24 of which were spent at the University of Arizona. During that stretch he led the Wildcats to 11 Pac-10 Conference titles, 23 consecutive NCAA Tournaments, four Final Four appearances and a National Championship in 1997.
Olson is one of just 25 head coaches in NCAA history to win 700 or more games (all divisions) and ranks ninth on the Division I career victories list. He finished with a winning percentage of .731 and is the all-time winningest coach in Arizona history with 587-190 record (.755). He was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year seven times. Olson also guided Arizona to 20 consecutive 20-win seasons, and is one of only three coaches in NCAA history to record 29 or more 20-win seasons
The 2019-20 Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award will be announced in April 2020 in Atlanta, Ga., site of the men's Division I NCAA Basketball Championship.
2020 LUTE OLSON PRESEASON WATCH LIST
Cole Anthony - 6-3 - Fr. - North Carolina
Udoka Azubuike - 7-0Sr. - Kansas
Charles Bassey- 6-11 - So. - Western Kentucky
Kerry Blackshear - 6-10 - Sr. - Florida
AJ Brodeur - 6-8 - Sr. - Penn
Vernon Carey - 6-10 - Fr. - Duke
Nico Carvacho - 6-11 - Sr. - Colorado State
Yoeli Childs - 6-9 - Sr. BYU
Tristan Clark - 6-9 - Jr.Baylor
Anthony Cowan Jr. - 6-0 - Sr.Maryland
Jarron Cumberland - 6-5 - Sr.Cincinnati
Antoine Davis - 6-1 - So. - Detroit
Ayo Dosunmu - 6-5 - So. - Illinois
Devon Dotson - 6-2 - So. - Kansas
Anthony Edwards - 6-5 - Fr. - Georgia
Jordan Ford - 6-1 - Sr.Saint Mary's
Malachi Flynn - 6-1 - Jr. - San Diego State
Kellan Grady - 6-5 - Jr.Davidson
Jon Axel Gudmundsson - 6-5 Sr. - Davidson
Ashton Hagans - 6-3 - So. - Kentucky
Tyrese Haliburton - 6-5 - So. - Iowa State
Markus Howard - 5-11 - Sr. - Marquette
Tre Jones - 6-2- So. - Duke
Nathan Knight - 6-10 - Sr. - William & Mary
Anthony Lamb - 6-6 - Sr. - Vermont
Sam Merrill - 6-5 - Sr. - Utah State
John Mooney - 6-9 - Sr. - Notre Dame
Jordan Nwora - 6-7 - Jr. - Louisville
Reggie Perry - 6-10 - So. - Mississippi State
Myles Powell - 6-2 - Sr. - Seton Hall
Grant Riller - 6-4 - Sr. - Charleston
Lamar Stevens - 6-8 - Sr. - Penn State
Isaiah Stewart - 6-9 - Fr. - Washington
Killian Tillie - 6-10 - Sr.- Gonzaa
Obi Toppin - 6-9 - So. - Dayton
Tres Tinkle - 6-8 - Sr. - Oregon State
Justin Turner - 6-4 - Jr. - Bowling Green
Keaton Wallace - 6-3 - Jr. - UTSA
Cassius Winston - 6-1 - Sr. - Michigan State
James Wiseman - 7-1 - Fr. - Memphis
- UTSA -