D’Angelo Russell: John R. Wooden Award Update – Ohio State Buckeyes
4/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
April 10, 2015
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THURSDAY
After a 6:30 a.m. flight out of Columbus, Ohio State freshman D’Angelo Russell and Buckeye assistant coach Jeff Boals arrived in Los Angeles at about 8:30 a.m. local time and made it to the Los Angeles Athletic Club around 9:30. The Ohio State guard got a chance to relax and enjoy breakfast before a tour of the LAAC from John R. Wooden Award director Ernest Baskerville. Russell was able to look around the hotel/athletic facility that includes an indoor pool, court, fitness facility and track. He then visited the rooftop of the hotel for a late-morning view of downtown before signing some autographs and relaxing the rest of the afternoon.
Russell joined the other men’s and women’s Wooden Award finalists at a kick-off reception early Friday evening before Duke’s Dinner, a reception in honor of Richard “Duke” Llewellyn, the chairman and founder of the John R. Wooden Award. The dinner provided a chance for the student-athletes to spend time with their families, coaches and peers ant the Los Angeles Athletic Club.
Friday
Friday started with breakfast at the Los Angeles Athletic Club before a tour of the Staples Center, home of the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA and the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. Russell and the rest of the Wooden Award party was then given a tour of the ESPN Los Angeles studios before a lunch/ping-pong session at The Standard Hotel.
After a bit of early-afternoon free time, Russell departed the LAAC for the Club Nokia where he arrived for the College Basketball Awards Show presented by Wendy’s. The Buckeye freshman, who was a finalist for the Wooden Award which went to Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky, was given the Jerry West Award for the nation’s top collegiate shooting guard.
Russell will have a clinic with the Special Olympics of Southern California tomorrow before returning to Columbus.
