Demetri McCamey has been named on the Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 list. Announced Monday, the men’s list consists of 50 student athletes named in the running for the title of basketball player of the year.

The announcement comes after a 2009-10 season in which the then-junior Illini point guard led the Big Ten and ranked second in the nation in assists with 7.1 per game.

The senior point guard also finished third in the Big Ten in assist-turnover ratio and 10th in scoring, with 15.1 points per game. He was the Illini’s leading scorer in half of their games last season.

The Big Ten Conference had more people represented on the list than in any other conference with 10, and Purdue had the most names of any school with three. Boilermakers Robbie Hummel, JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore all made the list. Big Ten names besides McCamey are Kalin Lucas (Michigan State), Durrell Summers (Michigan State), John Shurna (Northwestern), William Buford (Ohio State), Jon Leuer (Wisconsin) and Talor Battle (Penn State).

The John R. Wooden Award was established in 1976, and is given annually to one men’s and women’s basketball player with at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA. Past winners of the award include Larry Bird (79’), Michael Jordan (‘84) and Tim Duncan (‘97). Ohio State’s Evan Turner received the award last year for the men, while Tina Charles of Connecticut was honored on the women’s side. This year’s women’s list will be released later this week.

Transfers, freshmen and medical redshirts are not included on the preseason list. A midseason list will be released in December and the official voting ballot — which will list approximately 20 players — will be released in March while the Wooden Award All-American Team is named during the “Elite Eight” round of the men’s NCAA Tournament.

The 35th annual Wooden Award ceremony, that announces winners and All-America teams, takes place April 8-10, 2011.