Burke, Griner claim Wooden Award
LOS ANGELES — Trey Burke of national runner-up Michigan won the John R. Wooden Award on Friday night, completing the sophomore guard’s sweep of the major player of the year awards.
Brittney Griner of Baylor won the women’s award for the second consecutive year.
Burke picked up his award with Wolverines coach John Beilein, Burke’s parents and both sets of his grandparents in the audience at the Los Angeles Athletic Club. Burke is the first Michigan player to win in the award’s 37-year history.
He was announced as the winner at last weekend’s Final Four in Atlanta.
Burke also won the Naismith and Associated Press national player of the year trophies.
“The heaviest has to be the Naismith,” Burke said about his hardware. “I would say the Wooden is my favorite because Wooden was so critical to so many people’s lives. So many people praise him and what he stood for as a coach on and off the court that I feel so honored to be here.”
Burke received 2,808 points in voting by national basketball media, beating out Victor Oladipo of Indiana by 90 points in the closest outcome since 2006, when Duke’s J.J. Redick finished 72 points ahead of Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison.
Voting ended after the third round of the NCAA tournament.
Burke averaged 18.8 points and 6.8 assists in helping the Wolverines to the school’s first Final Four since 1993. They lost to Louisville 82-76 in the NCAA championship game on Monday night, when Burke scored 24 points.
“He said if he could he would have traded all these awards for a national championship,” Burke’s mother, Ronda, said.
