SAN DIEGO – In what could be the culmination of his junior season, San Diego State men's basketball player Malachi Flynn has been named a member of the 2020 John R. Wooden Award All-American Team. The announcement came from the Los Angeles Athletic Club in Los Angeles, Calif., and broadcast on ESPN this afternoon.
The Wooden Award All-American Team consists of the nation's top-10 players and the finalists for the Wooden Award which is widely considered the most prestigious honor in college basketball since its inception in 1976.
As insisted upon by Coach Wooden at the Award's creation 44 years ago, all players were certified by their universities as meeting or exceeding the criteria of the John R. Wooden Award. The 44th annual presentation of the John R. Wooden Award to the men's and women's most outstanding college basketball player will take place next week on ESPN.
Flynn is the second San Diego State men's basketball player to be named a Wooden Award All-American, joining Michael Cage who was recognized in 1984. He is just the second player from a California institution to be included on a Wooden Award All-American Team since 2008. In addition, he is the third Mountain West player since the conference's inception, prior to the 1999-2000 season, to be included on a Wooden Award All-American Team. The previous two Mountain West honorees are Utah's Andrew Bogut in 2005 and BYU's Jimmer Fredette in 2011.
A 6-1, guard, Flynn finished the regular season ranked No. 14 in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.86:1), No. 43 in assists (163) and free throw percentage (85.7), No. 48 in steals (56), No. 50 in assists per game (5.1), No. 76 in total points (564), No. 79 in steals per game (1.8), No. 93 in points per game (17.6) and No. 95 in three-point field goals made (76) among others.
Among the honors he has received this postseason, Flynn, now the most decorated men's basketball player in a single-season at San Diego State, is a consensus All-American based on inclusion on the All-American teams of The Associated Press, United States Basketball Writers of American (USBWA), National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and The Sporting News. Flynn earned first-team All-American honors from Sports Illustrated and STADIUM and second-team recognition from CBS Sports and NBC Sports, and The Athletic.
The qualifications of the Award include being a full-time student in an accredited NCAA college or university; making progress toward graduation and having a cumulative 2.00 grade point average since enrolling in their school. Candidates must exhibit strength of character, both on and off the court; should contribute to team effort; must excel in both offense and defense; and should be considered on their performance over the course of the entire season. Voting begins at the end of the season, and voters consist of nearly 1,000 members of the national college basketball media.
John R. Wooden Award
2020 Men's All-American Team
Udoka Azubuike, Kansas
Devon Dotson, Kansas
Malachi Flynn, San Diego State
Luka Garza, Iowa
Markus Howard, Marquette
Filip Petrusev, Gonzaga
Myles Powell, Seton Hall
Payton Pritchard, Oregon
Obi Toppin, Dayton
Cassius Winston, Michigan State
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