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Seminoles' Alabi Named To Wooden Award List
First Seminole on pre-season Wooden Award list since 1997-98.
Florida State's Solomon Alabi has been named to the pre-season Wooden Award list.

Florida State's Solomon Alabi has been named to the pre-season Wooden Award list.

Aug. 19, 2009

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Solomon Alabi, who helped lead the Florida State basketball team to the 2009 NCAA Tournament and to the championship game of the 2009 ACC Tournament, has been named a pre-season candidate for the John R. Wooden Award All-American Team and National Player of the Year Award by Richard "Duke" Llewellyn - the Wooden Award Chairman and founder.

The list is comprised of 50 student athletes who are the early frontrunners for college basketball's most prestigious honor. The players on the pre-season list and others who excel throughout the season will be considered for December's midseason list and the final voting ballot which will be released in March.

Alabi earned All-ACC Freshmen Team honors and was the only freshman named to the All-ACC Defensive Team in 2009 as he became only the seventh freshman in league history to lead the ACC in blocked shots. He blocked 73 shots for a 2.1 blocked shots per game average. Alabi was named to the All-ACC Tournament Second Team as he helped lead the Seminoles to the championship game of the ACC Tournament for the first time in school history. Along with All-American Toney Douglas (who earned All-ACC Tournament First Team honors) he became one of only three players in school history to earn All-ACC Tournament honors (Alabi and Douglas in 2009 and Charlie Ward in 1992) and became only the fifth player in Florida State history to earn All-ACC Freshmen Team honors. In addition, he was tabbed the ACC Rookie of the Week twice during his outstanding freshman season.

Alabi averaged 8.4 points (second on the team), 5.6 rebounds (first), 2.1 blocked shots (first) and shot a team leading .540 from the field in his first full season as a Seminole in 2009. He ranked third on the team in total minutes played (779), fifth in average minutes played per game (22.3), was fourth on the team in free throws made (51) and attempted (75), led the team in offensive rebounds (75/2.1 orpg), defensive rebounds (122/3.5 drpg) and total rebounds (197/5.6 rpg) and had 18 steals.

Alabi blocked at least one shot in 32 of the Seminoles' 35 games and had multiple blocked shots in 22 of Florida State's 35 games. He blocked his career-high of six shots against Charleston Southern on Dec. 18, 2009 and blocked five against Clemson on Feb. 7, 2009.

Alabi is the first Seminole to be on the preseason Wooden Award List since forward Al Thornton earned the honor prior to the 2007-08 season.

Alabi is one of 10 players from the ACC who was named to the list. 

2009 John R. Wooden Preseason Season Candidates
Solomon Alabi	7-1	C	So.	Florida State
Cole Aldrich	6-11	C	Jr.	Kansas
Al-Farouq Aminu	6-9	F	So.	Wake Forest
Luke Babbit	6-9	F	So.	Nevada
Talor Battle	5-11	G	Jr.	Penn State
Trevor Booker	6-7	F	Sr.	Clemson
Matt Bouldin	6-5	G	Sr.	Gonzaga
Craig Brackins	6-10	F	Jr.	Iowa State
Da'Sean Butler	6-7	F	Sr.	West Virginia
Sherron Collins	5-11	G	Sr.	Kansas
Ed Davis          6-10	F	So.	North Carolina
Devan Downey	5-9	G	Sr.	South Carolina
Jerome Dyson	6-3	G	Sr.	Connecticut
Devin Ebanks	6-9	F	So.	West Virginia
Corey Fisher	6-1	G	Jr.	Villanova
Luke Harangody 	6-8	F	Sr.	Notre Dame
Manny Harris	6-5	G	Jr.	Michigan
Jeremy Hazell	6-5	G	Jr.	Seton Hall
Robbie Hummel	6-8	F	Jr.	Purdue
Damion James	6-7	G/F	Sr.	Texas
Sylven Landesberg	6-6	G	So.	Virginia
Gani Lawal	6-9	F	Jr.	Georgia Tech
Kalin Lucas	6-0	G	Jr.	Michigan State
Tasmin Mitchell	6-7	F	Sr.	Louisiana State
Greg Monroe	6-11	C	So.	Georgetown
E'Twaun Moore	6-3	G	Jr.	Purdue
Raymar Morgan	6-8	F	Sr.	Michigan State
A.J. Oglivy	6-11	C	Jr.	Vanderbilt
Patrick Patterson	6-9	F	Jr.	Kentucky
Jerome Randle	5-10	G	Sr.	California
Scottie Reynolds	6-2	G	Jr.	Villanova
Samarado Samuels	6-8	F	So.	Louisville
Larry Sanders	6-11	F	Jr.	VCU
Jon Scheyer	6-5	G	Sr.	Duke
DeShawn Sims	6-8	F	Sr.	Michigan
Kyle Singler	6-8	F	Jr.	Duke
Tyler Smith	6-7	G/F	Sr.	Tennessee
Isaiah Thomas	5-8	G	So.	Washington
Deon Thompson	6-8	F	Sr.	North Carolina
J.T. Tiller	6-3	G	Sr.	Missouri
Evan Turner	6-7	G/F	Jr.	Ohio State
Jarvis Varnado	6-9	F/C	Sr.	Mississippi State
Greivis Vasquez	6-6	G	Sr.	Maryland
Deonta Vaughn	6-1	G	Sr.	Cincinnati
Kemba Walker	6-1	G	So.	Connecticut
Willie Warren	6-4	G	So.	Oklahoma
Terrico White	6-5	G	So.	Mississippi
Nic Wise          5-10	G	Sr.	Arizona
Chris Wright	6-8	F	Jr.	Dayton
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