Photo by: John Fetcho
Kalkbrenner A Finalist For Naismith Defensive Player of the Year
3/14/2023 12:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Junior center has twice been named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year
OMAHA, Neb. -- Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner is one of four finalists for this year's Naismith Trophy Men's Defensive Player of the Year award, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Tuesday.
The Naismith Award for Men's Defensive Player of the Year has been presented annually since 2018 to the most outstanding men's defensive basketball player who achieves tremendous on-court success. The 2023 Naismith Men's Defensive Player of the Year announcement will take place on Sunday, April 2, at the Naismith Awards Brunch presented by Frost Bank during the Final Four in Houston.?The event will be held at the Ballroom at Bayou Place. A full list of past winners can be found at naismithtrophy.com/winners.
2023 Naismith Men's Defensive Player of the Year Finalists
Kalkbrenner leads the BIG EAST with 2.2 blocked shots per game, which ranks 18th nationally. The Florissant, Mo., native ranks second in CU history with 192 career blocked shots and anchors a Bluejay defense that led the league during conference play in scoring defense, scoring margin and field goal percentage defense. Kalkbrenner is also second on the team with 6.2 rebounds per game.
Offensively, Kalkbrenner leads the nation in field goal percentage (.714), which ranks seventh-best in NCAA single-season history (min. 5 FG/game), while his career field goal percentage of 67.3 percent is fifth-best all-time among players with at least 400 career field goals who make four or more shots per game.
Earlier this month Kalkbrenner was named 2023 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season, becoming just the 11th player in league history to win the recognition more than once. He's also one of five players up for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar award given to the nation's best center and one of 25 men in the running for the Lefty Driesell Award given to the nation's best defensive player. He was also recognized as the nation's top defender by Field of 68, and two hours ago named NABC All-District 5 First Team.
Creighton (21-12) returns to the court on Friday when the Bluejays face NC State (23-10) in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament in Denver, Colo.
The Naismith Award for Men's Defensive Player of the Year has been presented annually since 2018 to the most outstanding men's defensive basketball player who achieves tremendous on-court success. The 2023 Naismith Men's Defensive Player of the Year announcement will take place on Sunday, April 2, at the Naismith Awards Brunch presented by Frost Bank during the Final Four in Houston.?The event will be held at the Ballroom at Bayou Place. A full list of past winners can be found at naismithtrophy.com/winners.
2023 Naismith Men's Defensive Player of the Year Finalists
| FULL NAME | CLASS | POS | SCHOOL | Conference |
| Jaylen Clark | Junior | G | UCLA | Pac-12 |
| Chase Audige | Senior | G | Northwestern | Big Ten |
| Caleb McConnell | Fifth Year | G | Rutgers | Big Ten |
| Ryan Kalkbrenner | Junior | C | Creighton | BIG EAST |
Kalkbrenner leads the BIG EAST with 2.2 blocked shots per game, which ranks 18th nationally. The Florissant, Mo., native ranks second in CU history with 192 career blocked shots and anchors a Bluejay defense that led the league during conference play in scoring defense, scoring margin and field goal percentage defense. Kalkbrenner is also second on the team with 6.2 rebounds per game.
Offensively, Kalkbrenner leads the nation in field goal percentage (.714), which ranks seventh-best in NCAA single-season history (min. 5 FG/game), while his career field goal percentage of 67.3 percent is fifth-best all-time among players with at least 400 career field goals who make four or more shots per game.
Earlier this month Kalkbrenner was named 2023 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season, becoming just the 11th player in league history to win the recognition more than once. He's also one of five players up for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar award given to the nation's best center and one of 25 men in the running for the Lefty Driesell Award given to the nation's best defensive player. He was also recognized as the nation's top defender by Field of 68, and two hours ago named NABC All-District 5 First Team.
Creighton (21-12) returns to the court on Friday when the Bluejays face NC State (23-10) in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament in Denver, Colo.
Players Mentioned
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