by There’s a new name on the list for the John R. Wooden Award.
Alabama men’s basketball freshman Brandon Miller was added this week to receive the prestigious honor. The Wooden Award is given to the most outstanding college basketball player in the country.
Miller was initially left off the list. In recent weeks, Miller has generated headlines after a police investigator testified that she had been at the scene of a fatal shooting on the Tuscaloosa Strip on January 15.
Former Alabama player Darius Miles, 21, and Michael Davis, 20, who is not affiliated with the university or the basketball program, face capital murder charges in the shooting death of 23-year-old Jamea Jonae Harris. Both men were indicted by a grand jury.
Miller has not been charged in the case. He is not facing a crime and his attorney detailed how Miller was not involved and did not know of the illegal activity that would occur. Miller also issued a statement in which he described the situation as “heartbreaking.”
“I never lose sight of the fact that a family lost a loved one that night,” Miller said before the SEC Tournament. “This whole situation is really heartbreaking. Respectfully, that’s all I can say about it.”
Miller is an emerging NBA prospect. He is averaging 19.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists on 45.3% shooting. He’s set to lead Alabama against Missouri in an SEC semifinal on Saturday night, and the Crimson Tide will likely hear his name as the No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday.
Miller was also named SEC Player of the Year and is a Naismith Player of the Year semifinalist.
Other nominees for the John R. Wooden Award include Armando Bacot (North Carolina), Antoine Davis (Detroit Mercy), Zach Edey (Purdue), Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana) and Jaime Jaquez Jr. (UCLA), Keyontae Johnson (Kansas State), Mike Miles Jr. (TCU), Kris Murray (Iowa), Jalen Pickett (Penn State), Marcus Sasser (Houston), Drew Timme (Gonzaga), Azuolas Tubelis (Arizona), Jalen Wilson (Kansas) , Isaiah Wong (Miami) Kentucky).
Contributing: Nick Kelly, Tuscaloosa News reporter
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alabama’s Brandon Miller Added as a Wooden Award Finalist
