Ryan Kalkbrenner Named to 2023 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List
11/8/2022 9:45:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Junior center is one of 50 players to watch
ATLANTA – Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner has been named one of 50 men's players to watch during the season-long competition for the 2023 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Men's Player of the Year honor, as announced by The Atlanta Tipoff Club.
A junior from Florissant, Mo., Kalkbrenner averaged 13.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots per game while starting CU's first 34 contests last season. He was an Honorable Mention All-BIG EAST choice, BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year and named to the All-BIG EAST Tournament Team while ranking fourth nationally in both field goal percentage (.646) and offensive rebounds per game (3.9). He was the lone Bluejay named Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST last month for ninth-ranked team in the nation, who are predicted to win the BIG EAST.
Just under two weeks ago on Oct. 28 Kalkbrenner was named one of 20 players on the preseason watch list for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, which is given to the nation's best center.
Kalkbrenner's recognition makes him the fourth different Bluejay in 13-year head coach Greg McDermott's tenure to be on a Naismith Award watch list. Doug McDermott was on the Preseason watch list in 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 and was a finalist in 2012-13 before winning the award in 2013-14. Marcus Foster was named to the Midseason watch list in 2016-17, then made the Preseason and Midseason watch list in 2017-18. More recently, Marcus Zegarowski was on the Preseason and Midseason watch list in 2020-21.
Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe reappears on this year's list and can be the first repeat honoree since Virginia's Ralph Samson won three awards from 1981-1983.
The midseason 30 team will be announced in February, and then the competition will be narrowed down to 10 national semifinalists in early March. Following those results, four finalists will be named on March 21, 2023, and the winner of the 2023 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy for Men's Player of the Year will be announced on April 2, 2023.
"These 50 players represent the best that college basketball has to offer. We anticipate another fantastic season from these players as well as many more incredible athletes who may find themselves on our list as the season progresses," said Eric Oberman, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. "Each of these players are great ambassadors for their team, universities, and college basketball."
"We cannot wait to see what these incredible athletes accomplish this season," said Jeff Hemschoot, vice president of marketing, Jersey Mike's. "Every year we are amazed by the passion, effort and skill these players put forth, and this season promises more of the same."
| FULL NAME | CLASS | POS | SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Abmas | Senior | G | Oral Roberts |
| Armando Bacot | Senior | F/C | North Carolina |
| Matt Bradley | Senior | G | San Diego State |
| Tyger Campbell | Redshirt Senior | G | UCLA |
| Marcus Carr | Grad Student | G | Texas |
| Colin Castleton | Fifth Year | F | Florida |
| Kendric Davis | Fifth Year | G | Memphis |
| RJ Davis | Junior | G | North Carolina |
| Antoine Davis | Grad Student | G | Detroit Mercy |
| Hunter Dickinson | Junior | C | Michigan |
| Zach Edey | Junior | C | Purdue |
| Adam Flagler | Redshirt Senior | G | Baylor |
| Keyonte George | Freshman | G | Baylor |
| DaRon Holmes II | Sophomore | F | Dayton |
| Tyrese Hunter | Sophomore | G | Texas |
| Graham Ike | Junior | F | Wyoming |
| Harrison Ingram | Sophomore | F | Stanford |
| Trayce Jackson-Davis | Senior | F/C | Indiana |
| Jaime Jaquez Jr. | Senior | G/F | UCLA |
| Ryan Kalkbrenner | Junior | C | Creighton |
| Dereck Lively II | Freshman | C | Duke |
| Caleb Love | Junior | G | North Carolina |
| Hunter Maldonado | Senior | G | Wyoming |
| Caleb McConnell | Fifth Year | G | Rutgers |
| Kevin McCullar Jr. | Redshirt Senior | G | Kansas |
| Darius McGhee | Redshirt Senior | G | Liberty |
| Mike Miles Jr. | Junior | G | TCU |
| Brandon Miller | Freshman | F | Alabama |
| Kris Murray | Junior | F | Iowa |
| Nijel Pack | Third-Year Sophomore | G | Miami |
| Drew Peterson | Fifth Year | G | USC |
| Will Richardson | Senior | G | Oregon |
| Jeremy Roach | Junior | G | Duke |
| Adama Sanogo | Junior | F | UConn |
| Marcus Sasser | Senior | G | Houston |
| Terrence Shannon Jr. | Senior | G | Illinois |
| Terquavion Smith | Sophomore | G | NC State |
| Nick Smith Jr. | Freshman | G | Arkansas |
| Julian Strawther | Junior | G | Gonzaga |
| Drew Timme | Senior | F | Gonzaga |
| Oscar Tshiebwe | Senior | F | Kentucky |
| Azuolas Tubelis | Junior | F | Arizona |
| Santiago Vescovi | Senior | G | Tennessee |
| Jordan Walker | Senior | G | UAB |
| Sahvir Wheeler | Senior | G | Kentucky |
| Dariq Whitehead | Freshman | F | Duke |
| Cam Whitmore | Freshman | F | Villanova |
| Jalen Wilson | Redshirt Junior | F | Kansas |
| Isaiah Wong | Fourth-Year Junior | G | Miami |
| Zakai Zeigler | Sophomore | G | Tennessee |
