MSU's Lawrence Roberts Named To 2005 John R. Wooden Award Final Ballot
Roberts joins Alabama junior forward Kennedy Winston as the lone Southeastern Conference players on this year's final ballot, which also includes reigning Wooden Award All-Americans Ryan Gomes of Providence and Oklahoma State's John Lucas.
The 2005 Wooden Award ceremony, which will include the presentation of the Men's and Women's Wooden Award, the Wooden Award All-American Teams, and Legends of Coaching award recipient Jim Calhoun of the University of Connecticut, will be held at The Los Angeles Athletic Club on April 9, and will be broadcast live on a national CBS telecast. The top five male and female finalists will be invited to Los Angeles for the awards ceremony and will receive a contribution from the John R. Wooden Award Scholarship Fund for their university's general scholarship fund. Presented annually to the nation's top collegiate basketball player, the John R. Wooden Award was created in 1976.
The reigning SEC Player of the Year, Roberts enters postseason play leading the conference in rebounding (11.1 rpg), offensive rebounds (3.54 rpg), defensive rebounds (7.61 rpg) and double-doubles (18), along with ranking fourth in the league in scoring (17.3 ppg) and eighth in both field-goal percentage (45.9%) and steals (1.68 spg) on the year. Leading all active NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 56 career double-doubles, Roberts, a former transfer from Baylor, also ranks as the nation's top active rebounder with 1,133 career rebounds and 13th with 1,884 career points to his credit.
With 14 double-doubles in his last 18 contests, including a current string of four straight double-double efforts, Roberts enters the upcoming SEC Tournament needing 10 more points to become the 27th member of Mississippi State's all-time 1,000-point club. In his two seasons with the Bulldogs, the Houston native currently ranks third on MSU's career rebounding average list (10.6 rpg) and seventh in career scoring average (17.1 ppg).
Earlier this season, Roberts made headlines by posting MSU's first-ever recorded triple-double with 18 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high 12 assists against Nicholls State on Nov. 21. He also became the first Bulldog player since Rickey Brown (1979-80) to record a 20-20 effort with 22 points and 20 rebounds in just 24 minutes against Jacksonville State in Jackson on Dec. 22.
Wooden Award Ballot
(Players listed alphabetically)
A national poll was conducted by the John R. Wooden Award National Advisor Board to determine the ballot for the 2004-2005 Wooden Award All-American Team. The top 23 candidates have been selected based on this year's individual performance and team records.
| Name | Ht. | Cl. | Pos. | School |
| Andrew Bogut | 7'0" | So. | F/C | Utah |
| Dee Brown | 6'0" | Jr. | G | Illinois |
| Taylor Coppenrath | 6'9" | Sr. | F | Vermont |
| Ike Diogu | 6'8" | Jr. | F | Arizona State |
| Francisco Garcia | 6'7" | Jr. | F | Louisville |
| Ryan Gomes | 6'7" | Sr. | F | Providence |
| Joey Graham | 6'7" | Sr. | F | Oklahoma State |
| Luther Head | 6'3" | Sr. | G | Illinois |
| John Lucas | 5'11" | Sr. | G | Oklahoma State |
| Sean May | 6'9" | Jr. | F/C | North Carolina |
| Rashad McCants | 6'4" | Jr. | F/G | North Carolina |
| Chris Paul | 6'0" | So. | G | Wake Forest |
| J.J. Redick | 6'4" | Jr. | G | Duke |
| Lawrence Roberts | 6'9" | Sr. | F | Mississippi State |
| Nate Robinson | 5'9" | Jr. | G | Washington |
| Wayne Simien | 6'9" | Sr. | F | Kansas |
| Craig Smith | 6'7" | Jr. | F | Boston College |
| Salim Stoudamire | 6'1" | Sr. | G | Arizona |
| Ronny Turiaf | 6'10" | Sr. | F | Gonzaga |
| Hakim Warrick | 6'8" | Sr. | F | Syracuse |
| Deron Williams | 6'3" | Jr. | G | Illinois |
| Shelden Williams | 6'9" | Jr. | F | Duke |
| Kennedy Winston | 6'6" | Jr. | F | Alabama |