UNC Basketball star RJ Davis earns spot on 2024 Wooden Award ballot

On Saturday, the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced its 2024 Men’s National Ballot for the John R. Wooden Award. elected by the Wooden Award National Advisory Board, the National Ballot consists of 15 student-athletes who are candidates for the Wooden Award All American Team and Wooden Award Trophy as the most outstanding college basketball player within the United States.

Regarded as one of the nation's top players, UNC basketball star RJ Davis has rightfully earned a spot on this year's ballot.

Now, this isn't just an award that focuses on the court success. Several factors are considered. From the official John R. Wooden Award press release, here's a look at what the voters look for as they evaluate each candidate:

The qualifications include: candidates must exhibit strength of character, both on and off the court; candidates must be full-time students in an accredited NCAA college or university; candidates must be making progress toward graduation and have a cumulative 2.00 grade point average since enrolling in their school; candidates must contribute to team effort; candidates must excel in both offense and defense; and candidates should be considered on their performance over the course of the entire season.

Davis has been outstanding during his senior season with the UNC basketball program, as he's not only led the ACC in scoring but has guided the Tar Heels to at least a share of the ACC regular season title. Along with his on-court success, Davis has been a great example as a student-athlete, as he's succeeded in his sport as well as in the classroom and off the court endeavors.

The UNC basketball star is just one of two ACC players to make this year's list. Here's the official list of players who had the ballot for this year's John R. Wooden Award:

Johni Broome- Auburn
RJ Davis- North Carolina
Hunter Dickinson- Kansas
Zach Edey- Purdue
Kyle Filipowski- Duke
DaRon Holmes II- Dayton
Dalton Knecht- Tennessee
Tyler Kolek- Marquette
Jaedon LeDee- San Diego State
Caleb Love- Arizona
Kevin McCullar Jr.- Kansas
Tristen Newton- UConn
Antonio Reeves- Kentucky
Mark Sears- Alabama
Jamal Shead- Houston

Voting will take place from March 18-25, as voters take into consideration a player’s entire season of play, as well as the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The finalists for the 2024 Wooden Award presented will be announced on April 2nd.