Kalkbrenner Named Semifinalist For Naismith Defensive Player of the Year
2/28/2023 11:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Junior center is one of 10 men on the list
OMAHA, Neb. -- Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner is one of 10 semifinalists for this year's Naismith Men's Defensive Player of the Year award, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Tuesday. He is the only BIG EAST representative on the list.
Kalkbrenner leads the BIG EAST with 2.31 blocked shots per game, which also ranks 16th nationally. In league play Kalkbrenner paces the conference with 2.71 blocked shots per game. Kalkbrenner also leads the nation in field goal percentage (.709) this season and tops a Creighton team that has spent eight weeks in the Top 25 with 14.8 points per game.
Last season the Florissant, Mo., native became Creighton's third BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year in six seasons following a vote of league coaches.
Kalkbrenner has also been named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Watch List, the USBWA Oscar Robertson Midseason Watch List, the Wooden Award Preseason Watch List and Preseason Jersey Mike's Naismith Award Watch List during his junior campaign.
Last year the four finalists were named on March 16, and Auburn's Walker Kessler was announced as the winner on April 3rd at the Final Four. Other past winners include Baylor's Davion Mitchell (2020-21), Kansas' Marcus Garrett (2019-20), Washington's Matisse Thybulle (2018-19) and West Virginia's Jevon Carter (2017-18).
Creighton (18-11, 12-6 BIG EAST) hosts its final game of the regular-season on Wednesday when it takes on Georgetown at 7:30 p.m. on FS1, 1620 The Zone and 101.9 The Keg.
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Kalkbrenner leads the BIG EAST with 2.31 blocked shots per game, which also ranks 16th nationally. In league play Kalkbrenner paces the conference with 2.71 blocked shots per game. Kalkbrenner also leads the nation in field goal percentage (.709) this season and tops a Creighton team that has spent eight weeks in the Top 25 with 14.8 points per game.
Last season the Florissant, Mo., native became Creighton's third BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year in six seasons following a vote of league coaches.
Kalkbrenner has also been named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Watch List, the USBWA Oscar Robertson Midseason Watch List, the Wooden Award Preseason Watch List and Preseason Jersey Mike's Naismith Award Watch List during his junior campaign.
Last year the four finalists were named on March 16, and Auburn's Walker Kessler was announced as the winner on April 3rd at the Final Four. Other past winners include Baylor's Davion Mitchell (2020-21), Kansas' Marcus Garrett (2019-20), Washington's Matisse Thybulle (2018-19) and West Virginia's Jevon Carter (2017-18).
Creighton (18-11, 12-6 BIG EAST) hosts its final game of the regular-season on Wednesday when it takes on Georgetown at 7:30 p.m. on FS1, 1620 The Zone and 101.9 The Keg.
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| 2023 NAISMITH MEN'S DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR SEMIFINALISTS | |||
| FULL NAME | CLASS | POS | SCHOOL |
| Chase Audige | Senior | G | Northwestern |
| Moussa Cisse | Junior | F | Oklahoma State |
| Jaylen Clark | Junior | G | UCLA |
| Zach Edey | Junior | C | Purdue |
| Trayce Jackson-Davis | Senior | F | Indiana |
| Ryan Kalkbrenner | Junior | C | Creighton |
| Caleb McConnell | Fifth Year | G | Rutgers |
| Kevin McCullar Jr. | Senior | G | Kansas |
| Marcus Sasser | Senior | G | Houston |
| Zakai Zeigler | Sophomore | G | Tennessee |
Players Mentioned
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