Kalkbrenner Named to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Watch List
10/27/2023 12:01:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Senior center was a finalist for last year's award, won by Purdue's Zach Edey
SPRINGFIELD, MASS. (October 27, 2023) — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced that Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner is one of 20 candidates on the watch list for the 2024 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award. Named after Class of 1995 Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the annual honor, in its 10th year, recognizes the top center in men's college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
"The centers on the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award watch list should feel tremendously proud of all they have accomplished to be associated with one of the greatest players basketball has ever seen," said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. "We are honored to have Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's perspective when evaluating talent each year, and we encourage the fans to vote alongside Kareem throughout this process."
A Florissant, Mo., native, Kalkbrenner enters senior season with lofty expectations after averaging 15.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots per game last season. A year ago he was named First Team All-BIG EAST and became the 11th player in league history to be a two-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year. The preseason buzz has ramped up heading into 2023-24 as he's been named a Preseason All-American by 247Sports (First Team), CBS College Sports (Second Team), FoxSports.com (Second Team) and College Hoops Today (Second Team) in addition to becoming the first player in program history to twice earn Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST accolades.
Kalkbrenner is one of two Creighton players in the 10 seasons of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award to be named to the watch list at any point, joining Justin Patton in 2016-17. Patton was on the preseason list of 20 and later made the cut down to 10 during his campaign that saw him earn BIG EAST Freshman of the Year accolades and become a First Round pick in the NBA Draft. Last year Kalkbrenner was on the initial list of 20, made the cut down to 10, and was one of five finalists before it was won by Purdue's Zach Edey.
2024 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Candidates*
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2023-24 season.
Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds starting today. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2024 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be narrowed to 10, and then in late February, to just five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame's selection committee, where a winner will be selected.
The winner of the 2024 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Men's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Award (Point Guard), Jerry West Award (Shooting Guard), Julius Erving Award (Small Forward), and the Karl Malone Award (Power Forward), in addition to the Women's Starting Five.
Previous winners of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award are Zach Edey, Purdue (2023), Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky (2022), two-time winner Luka Garza, Iowa (2020-21), Ethan Happ, Wisconsin (2019), Angel Delgado, Seton Hall (2018), Przemek Karnowski, Gonzaga (2017), Jakob Poeltl, Utah (2016) and Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin (2015).
Kalkbrenner is the fourth Bluejay to be named to a Preseason Watch List this weekdays, as on Monday senior Steven Ashworth was named to the list for the Bob Cousy Point Guard Award, on Tuesday Trey Alexander landed on the watch list for the Jerry West Award given to the nation's top shooting guard and on Wednesday Baylor Scheierman was selected as a candidate for the Julius Erving Small Forward Award.. Creighton is one of six schools with a player on four or more watch lists, joining Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Marquette and Connecticut. No school has someone at all five spots..
For more information on the 2024 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophallu and #KareemAward on X (formally Twitter) and Instagram.
About Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played for legendary coach and Hall of Famer John Wooden at the University of California-Los Angeles from 1966-1969. He is a three-time NCAA Champion who earned numerous accolades, including three-time Final Four Most Outstanding Player, three-time National College Player of the Year, and three-time Consensus First-Team All-American (1967-1969). As a professional, Abdul-Jabbar is a six-time NBA Champion, six-time NBA Most Valuable Player, two-time NBA Finals MVP, 19-time NBA All-Star, and second on the league's all-time scoring list. In 2021, the NBA created the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award, which honors players who are making strides in the fight for social justice.
About the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game's elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit hoophall.com, follow @hoophall and #KareemAward or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.
"The centers on the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award watch list should feel tremendously proud of all they have accomplished to be associated with one of the greatest players basketball has ever seen," said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. "We are honored to have Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's perspective when evaluating talent each year, and we encourage the fans to vote alongside Kareem throughout this process."
A Florissant, Mo., native, Kalkbrenner enters senior season with lofty expectations after averaging 15.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots per game last season. A year ago he was named First Team All-BIG EAST and became the 11th player in league history to be a two-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year. The preseason buzz has ramped up heading into 2023-24 as he's been named a Preseason All-American by 247Sports (First Team), CBS College Sports (Second Team), FoxSports.com (Second Team) and College Hoops Today (Second Team) in addition to becoming the first player in program history to twice earn Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST accolades.
Kalkbrenner is one of two Creighton players in the 10 seasons of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award to be named to the watch list at any point, joining Justin Patton in 2016-17. Patton was on the preseason list of 20 and later made the cut down to 10 during his campaign that saw him earn BIG EAST Freshman of the Year accolades and become a First Round pick in the NBA Draft. Last year Kalkbrenner was on the initial list of 20, made the cut down to 10, and was one of five finalists before it was won by Purdue's Zach Edey.
2024 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Candidates*
| Oumar Ballo | Arizona | N'Faly Dante | Oregon |
| Johni Broome | Auburn | Zach Edey | Purdue |
| Ryan Kalkbrenner | Creighton | Clifford Omoruyi | Rutgers |
| Kel'el Ware | Indiana | Joel Soriano | St. John's |
| Hunter Dickinson | Kansas | Aday Mara | UCLA |
| Aaron Bradshaw | Kentucky | Donovan Clingan | UConn |
| Jordan Brown | Memphis | Josh Cohen | UMass |
| Dawson Garcia | Minnesota | Branden Carlson | Utah |
| Armando Bacot | North Carolina | Eric Dixon | Villanova |
| Jamarion Sharp | Ole Miss | Jesse Edwards | West Virginia |
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2023-24 season.
Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds starting today. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2024 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be narrowed to 10, and then in late February, to just five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame's selection committee, where a winner will be selected.
The winner of the 2024 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Men's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Award (Point Guard), Jerry West Award (Shooting Guard), Julius Erving Award (Small Forward), and the Karl Malone Award (Power Forward), in addition to the Women's Starting Five.
Previous winners of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award are Zach Edey, Purdue (2023), Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky (2022), two-time winner Luka Garza, Iowa (2020-21), Ethan Happ, Wisconsin (2019), Angel Delgado, Seton Hall (2018), Przemek Karnowski, Gonzaga (2017), Jakob Poeltl, Utah (2016) and Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin (2015).
Kalkbrenner is the fourth Bluejay to be named to a Preseason Watch List this weekdays, as on Monday senior Steven Ashworth was named to the list for the Bob Cousy Point Guard Award, on Tuesday Trey Alexander landed on the watch list for the Jerry West Award given to the nation's top shooting guard and on Wednesday Baylor Scheierman was selected as a candidate for the Julius Erving Small Forward Award.. Creighton is one of six schools with a player on four or more watch lists, joining Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Marquette and Connecticut. No school has someone at all five spots..
For more information on the 2024 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophallu and #KareemAward on X (formally Twitter) and Instagram.
About Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played for legendary coach and Hall of Famer John Wooden at the University of California-Los Angeles from 1966-1969. He is a three-time NCAA Champion who earned numerous accolades, including three-time Final Four Most Outstanding Player, three-time National College Player of the Year, and three-time Consensus First-Team All-American (1967-1969). As a professional, Abdul-Jabbar is a six-time NBA Champion, six-time NBA Most Valuable Player, two-time NBA Finals MVP, 19-time NBA All-Star, and second on the league's all-time scoring list. In 2021, the NBA created the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award, which honors players who are making strides in the fight for social justice.
About the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game's elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit hoophall.com, follow @hoophall and #KareemAward or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.
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