Dayton forward Obi Toppin wins John R. Wooden Award as top men's player

April 7 (UPI) -- Dayton Flyers star forward Obi Toppin won the John R. Wooden Award on Tuesday as the most outstanding player in men's college basketball this season.

Toppin, who also won the Naismith Trophy last week, earned the award over Iowa star Luka Garza.

"We had a really great bond this year with the teammates and the coaches and it showed on the court," Toppin said of Dayton's 2019-20 season. "Everybody was bought in to what the coaches were asking and that's why we were so successful this year."

Toppin, who announced last month that he will sign with an agent and enter the upcoming NBA Draft, guided the Flyers to a 29-2 record this past season, which ended abruptly before the start of the NCAA tournament because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Toppin, a projected lottery pick in this year's draft, averaged 20 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 63 percent from the field in the 2019-20 campaign. He was the only Division I player to average 20 points and shoot at least 60 percent this season.

Toppin is the seventh sophomore to win the Wooden Award and the first since Trey Burke in 2013.