Wooden Award Winner 2016: Buddy Hield Receives Coveted Honor

Oklahoma Sooners shooting guard Buddy Hield captured the 2016 John R. Wooden Award on Friday night to secure his place as the National Player of the Year after lighting up scoreboards across the country this past season. 

The award's official Twitter account congratulated the star:

Hield beat out Michigan State Spartans guard Denzel Valentine, Virginia Cavaliers guard Malcolm Brogdon, Kentucky Wildcats guard Tyler Ulis and North Carolina Tar Heels forward Brice Johnson for the prestigious award. 

The senior also joined an exclusive Sooners club, per ESPN Stats & Info: 

Though the Villanova Wildcats dismantled Hield and the Sooners in the Final Four, the senior swingman was the most compelling scorer in college basketball during the 2015-16 season. 

After averaging 17.4 points per game as a junior, Hield shot up the national leaderboard and finished No. 2 overall by producing 25.0 points per game on 50.1 percent shooting from the field and 45.7 percent shooting from three-point range.

Hield's full arsenal of pro-ready scoring tools was on display in the Sooners' 80-68 Elite Eight victory over the Oregon Ducks, when the senior exploded for 37 points and gashed the West Region's No. 1 seed from all over the floor.

"However many games we’ve played, you can count on one hand the number of average games he’s had, and maybe two that were below average, and that’s really difficult when you’ve got the target on your back every night from the opposition and you still raise your level and respond and make shots," Oklahoma head coach Lon Kruger said, per USA Today's George Schroeder. 

Beyond leading the nation in three-point field goals made (147), Hield ranked No. 1 among all Big 12 players with a player efficiency rating of 28.2 and 5.6 offensive win shares, per Sports-Reference.com. 

He also made his way to the top of one of the conference's most prestigious lists, according to ESPN College BBall on Twitter:

"

Buddy Hield finished his career as the Big 12's all-time leader in points with 2,291. pic.twitter.com/AVBOfuIVdz

— ESPN College BBall (@ESPNCBB) April 8, 2016"

All of those numbers, to some degree, point to the kind of player Hield can be in the pros. 

While he still has room to grow as a scorer off the bounce, Hield should make an immediate impact thanks to his silky catch-and-shoot stylings.

With a lightning-quick release and the confidence to launch shots from anywhere on the floor, the 22-year-old should have no problem solidifying his place as a lottery pick as pace-and-space schemes continue to dominate the NBA.