Simpson named Wooden Award finalist
Throughout all the ups and downs of a season marked by lopsided wins, gut-wrenching losses, and a run of injuries, KJ Simpson has emerged as a dependable and productive constant.
Simpson once again was snubbed by the organizers of the Bob Cousy Award earlier this week, as he was left off the list of 10 finalists for an honor given to the nation’s point guard. Yet that wasn’t the case with Tuesday’s announcement from the directors of the Wooden Award, as Simpson was named to the list of late season top 20 finalists for an honor given to the nation’s top player.
Simpson was named to the midseason top 25 list for the Wooden Award three weeks ago.
“I was (disappointed). I saw that in class,” Simpson said of the Cousy list. “I was disappointed in the Cousy. Especially since I went up against a bunch of those guards and my game spoke myself. Either way, I know it’s because a lot of it goes down to records and teams being ranked and stuff like that. I try not to pay attention to it too much. I just want to play and just get a win every night in, night out.
“But hearing that news, that I’m on the list for the Wooden, makes me proud. I put in a lot of work last offseason when I got sick and people forgot about me, or that’s how I felt. So it just goes to show all my hard work is paying off.”
A second-team All-pac-12 selection last season despite a late slump spurred by injury and illness, Simpson’s high-scoring campaign and improved all-around game has him among the midseason candidates for the conference player of the year award as CU gets set to open the second half of its league slate on Saturday at Utah (3 p.m., Pac-12 Network).
Simpson’s 25-point outing during Saturday’s loss at Washington State was his 12th 20-point performance in 21 games this season. He has gone 27-for-28 at the free throw line over the past four games, raising his season percentage to a Pac-12-best .892. With a minimum of 11 games remaining, Simpson is on pace to make a run at CU’S season free throw percentage record of .866, set by Cory Higgins in 2010-11. If the season ended now, Simpson’s 3-point percentage of .468 would rank second in team history, a few decimals ahead of George King’s .456 mark in 2015-16 and trailing only
Levi Knutson’s 2010-11 record of .474.
Simpson always had the ability to be an explosive scorer, yet his first two seasons at CU featured a 3-point percentage of .269 and an assist-to-turnover rate of 1.38. Despite a recent dip, Simpson owns a career-best assist-to-turnover rate of 1.98, and his career-high 4.3 assists per game ranks fourth in the Pac-12.
Simpson also has been more productive on the glass, and he goes into Saturday’s game at Utah averaging a career-best 5.3 rebounds per game. He has grabbed at least five rebounds in the past eight games and has recorded at least seven in three in a row.
“He should be considered an All-american this year. I mean, he should be in the conversation the way he’s played, how efficient he’s been,” CU head coach Tad Boyle said. “I don’t get into that stuff. I just know how good he is. I know what kind of year he’s having, what kind of player he is, what he’s done for our team. You can make an argument that there’s not 10 players more important to their team in college basketball than he is.
“I can’t comment on other players because I don’t follow them close enough. I just know how good KJ’S been, and he’s been one of the best players in the league. He should be in the conversation for player of the year in the Pac-12.”