Elton Brand

Duke University forward Elton Brand was named the winner of the 1999 John R. Wooden Award as the nation's top college basketball player. Brand, a 6-foot-9 sophomore, beat out forwards Richard Hamilton of national champion Connecticut and Wally Szczerbiak of Miami University of Ohio for the 23rd annual award. Brand averaged 17.7 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.2 blocks a game and shot 62 percent from the floor this season in helping Duke to a second-place finish in the NCAA tournament. He had 15 points and 13 rebounds in the Blue Devils' 77-74 loss to Connecticut in the NCAA championship game. Brand was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year in leading Duke to a 37-2 overall mark and the first 16-0 record in ACC history. The first sophomore to win the award, he joined Christian Laettner in 1992 as the only Duke players to capture the honor.