It was announced Saturday morning by the Los Angeles Athletic Club that UK freshman guard Malik Monk is one of 15 player in contention for the John R. Wooden Award. 

All of the finalist are candidates for the Wooden All-American Team and the winner for the annual award recognizes the top player in college basketball. 

Monk is one of five freshmen on the list of 15 finalist and has set himself apart with his scoring abilities in his first collegiate season. The freshmen currently ranks 13th in the nation in scoring, averaging 21.7 points per game. That figure is also second among freshman nationally and leads the SEC. That scoring average would also be the largest for a player under head coach John Calipari. The current top scorer under Calipari was Dajuan Wagner’s 21.1 points per game in the 2001-02 season at Memphis.

The last UK player to win the award was Anthony Davis in 2012. 

The Wooden Award All-American Team will be named the week of the Elite Eight. The winner of the award will be named at the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show on April 7.

Voting takes place March 13-20 and fans can particpate alongside the basketball media voting here at the fan voting site at woodenawardvote.com.