UCLA basketball’s Aaron Holiday is one of 25 players that have been named to the midseason John R. Wooden Award list.
After coming off the bench last season, UCLA basketball’s Aaron Holiday has made a name for himself this season as the leader of the Bruins.
RELATED: UCLA Women’s Basketball – Canada, Billings named to midseason Wooden Award list
His efforts in the first half of the season have been phenomenal and have rightfully caught the attention of the voters of the John R. Wooden Award as he has been named to their midseason list.
More from Go Joe Bruin
- UCLA Football: It’s time for the nation to meet Dante Moore
- UCLA Football: Where are they ranked heading into week 4
- UCLA Football: Position battle breakdown for Utah showdown
- UCLA vs. Utah: Location, time, prediction, and more
- UCLA Football: Highlights from Chip Kelly’s appearance on the Jim Rome Show
Holiday, along with Thomas Welsh and Gyorgy Goloman, are the only Bruins to play meaningful minutes last season after the Bruins lost five players. Though Holiday was expected to carry most of the weight, he has done that and more.
It is not just the fact that, for the season, he is putting up 19.4 points (5th in the Pac-12) and 5.4 assists per game (2nd in the Pac-12), he is stepping up when the team needs him most.
Despite the loss, one of best performances this season was against Stanford. UCLA was struggling to score and Holiday’s second half performance led to his 31 points, which included a critical 3-pointer at the end of the first overtime to tie the game and force another five minutes of play. That is the type of killer instinct that is getting him noticed.
This season has been an evolution for Holiday. Early on he had to adjust to his role as leader and took some time to find the balance. Midway through the non-conference he was able to reel in his mistakes as he started to get more comfortable in his role.
Next: Bruins relying on outside shooting, but will it work long term?
He has even stepped it up since conference play started. The result of the last four games has Holiday leading the Pac-12 with 24.8 ppg. If Holiday stays consistent with this type of play, he will definitely be a candidate for the Wooden Award at season’s end.