Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
LSU freshman forward Ben Simmons is ineligible for the John Wooden Award due to academic-related reasons, according to ESPN.
quote:

"From what I was told, he didn't meet all of the requirements," Tigers coach Johnny Jones told ESPN. "He wasn't certified by the school to be on the ballot."

LSU spokesman Kent Lowe confirmed to ESPN that Simmons "did not have the necessary criteria to be eligible."
Simmons was on the Watch list for the award in February along with 20 other players. He is averaging 19.7 points, 11.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists on the season.
Filed Under: LSU Basketball

Comments

29 Comments
user avatar
what good is 100$ million shoe deal if your too stupid to know when someone will con you out of all of it.
Reply91 months
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I hate Ben Simmons as a player. He is just lazy and over hyped and this article proved that. However, I don't know what I would do if I was put in his position. This is an 18 year old kid who has already been guaranteed a $100 million contract by one of the biggest shoe brands in the world. It has to be tough for him.
Reply91 months
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nice job Ben - would never pick u as a GM knowing that work effort
Reply91 months
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Lazy is a charcter trait and will manifest itself in everything he does. Simmons is one of the most overrated players zi have ever seen. His laziness off the court is visible to many of us now just as we have been saying all along. This simply is not a surprise because if Simmons is lazy on the court where supposedly it does matter why wouldn't he be lazy in other aspects of his life such as academicly.
Reply91 months
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Prove you wrong? Jones sucks as a coach. Simmons is lazy as crap, must have stopped going to class after Christmas. It really does not matter to him, he doesn't need college to play in the NBA and sign shoe deals. He will need it one day though. Life is tough enough. it's much tougher when you are stupid. Wasting a free opportunity to learn is stupid, period.
Reply91 months
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Yep, Simmons is lazy, but Coach JJ has proven that he is the biggest problem in this program. Why blame individual players when the problem is the leadership? The players needs to be held accountable and the coach is obviously is not the man for the job.
91 months
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I love the downvotes and snide comments. Ben does deserve some blame, but this falls squarely on the coaching staff. How can any of you argue in favor of Coach JJ when he has squandered so much talent? Maybe it is a symptom of what is wrong with college basketball in general, but it speaks volumes to me that other programs seem to keep their one and dones clean for a year and this clown can't even do that. Prove me wrong.
Reply91 months
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I don't think he would've won it anyways. Buddy Hield has it locked up right now.
Reply91 months
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km
upvote9downvote0
Scores a zero on desire and effort. What a surprise.
Reply91 months
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Kentucky has won nattys with one and done kids. Bottom line is this coaching staff has failed. I don't like the rule either, but let's not pretend the rule is the reason this year has been such a failure, and Simmons isn't national player of the year.
Reply91 months
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Guy it's ok, Obama said he didn't have to worry about it on national tv, who the hell goes to class when the POTUS gives you a shout out ?
Reply91 months
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Did you really just blame Obama for Simmons not being academically eligible to win the a Wooden award?
91 months
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Can't make a 2.0 with free tutoring? That's sad....
Reply91 months
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I'm fine with one and done as it's the current rule, it will change. What a sad reflection on Ben, on LSU, and for other kids busting it to get their degree via scholarship. Jones too has to take accountability.
Reply91 months
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$100m shoe deal. Don't care.
Reply91 months
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You can put this on the coach,the coach knows what his player is doing.he should've sat for five or six games instead of four minutes in the first quarter. No matter if you're the number one pick in the draft or not you're still a student
Reply91 months
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Simmons being lazy has nothing to do with Johnny jones. I know first hand as an athlete that it's not difficult at all to make the grades to stay on the university's good side. You just have to not be lazy as shite and stay on top of things.
91 months
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How hard is it, as an athlete, to maintain grades and remain eligible? This is pathetic.
Reply91 months
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The Brad Wing of Basketball
Reply91 months
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The Brad Wing of Basketball
Reply91 months
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Embarrassing Ben.
Reply91 months
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"can't blame this on the kid." Wut?
Reply91 months
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Jonny Jones is a joke of a coach, can't blame this on the kid.
Reply91 months
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Then your a moron. He has flunking grades that is on him not the coach.
91 months
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