Aug. 19, 2009

LOS ANGELES - University of Maryland senior Greivis Vasquez was among the student-athletes named Wednesday as a preseason candidate for the 2009-10 John Wooden Award, given to the men's basketball national player of the year.

Vasquez, a second team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection as both a sophomore and junior, was among 50 players selected to the preseason list, including 10 players from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The 6-foot-6 Terrapin guard led Maryland in scoring, rebounds and assists a year ago, becoming the first Maryland player to accomplish that feat. The Terps went 21-14 last year and advanced to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament and the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

In late December, the Wooden Award Committee will release the Midseason Top 30 list, followed in march by the national ballot, which consists of the top 20 players in the nation.

The 34th annual Wooden Award ceremony will take place the weekend of April 9-11, 2010.

The entire release and the website for the Wooden Award is available at www.WoodenAward.com.

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