Kalkbrenner Named to Naismith Trophy Watch List
10/30/2024 11:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Kalkbrenner is one of four repeat honorees
ATLANTA, Ga. – Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner is one of 50 men named on the 2024-25 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Men's Player of the Year Watch List, Presented by AXIA Time.
Kalkbrenner is one of four players to land a spot on the Naismith Trophy's Preseason Watch List award in each of the last three seasons, as he's joined by Kansas' Hunter Dickinson, North Carolina's RJ Davis and Arizona's Caleb Love in that elite company.
Creighton has now had five men earn a combined nine spots on the Naismith Trophy Men's Player of the Year Preseason Watch List during Greg McDermott's 15-year tenure on the Bluejay sideline. 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. Marcus Zegarowski was on the Preseason and Midseason watch list in 2020-21. Kalkbrenner was on both the Preseason and Midseason watch lists in 2022-23 and the Preseason list in 2023-24.
A Florissant, Mo., native, Kalkbrenner enters fifth season with lofty expectations after averaging 17.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.1 blocked shots per game last season. A year ago he was named Second Team All-BIG EAST and became the third player in league history to be a three-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, joining Alonzo Mourning and Patrick Ewing.
The preseason buzz has ramped up heading into 2024-25 as he's been named Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year and a First Team Preseason All-American by CBS Sports, FOX Sports and Field of 68. He remains the only player in program history to earn multiple Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST accolades, having done so three times. Kalkbrenner also owns Creighton records in NCAA Tournament play for wins played in, points, blocks, field goals and games played in, as CU has made three trips to the Sweet 16 or beyond in his first four seasons.
Kalkbrenner is one of seven BIG EAST representatives on the list, as he's joined by Kam Jones (Marquette), Alex Karaban (Connecticut), Liam McNeeley (Connecticut), Kadary Richmond (St. John's), Eric Dixon (Villanova) and Bryce Hopkins (Providence).
Creighton opens the regular-season on Nov. 6 when it hosts UTRGV at 8 p.m.
Kalkbrenner is one of four players to land a spot on the Naismith Trophy's Preseason Watch List award in each of the last three seasons, as he's joined by Kansas' Hunter Dickinson, North Carolina's RJ Davis and Arizona's Caleb Love in that elite company.
Creighton has now had five men earn a combined nine spots on the Naismith Trophy Men's Player of the Year Preseason Watch List during Greg McDermott's 15-year tenure on the Bluejay sideline. 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. Marcus Zegarowski was on the Preseason and Midseason watch list in 2020-21. Kalkbrenner was on both the Preseason and Midseason watch lists in 2022-23 and the Preseason list in 2023-24.
A Florissant, Mo., native, Kalkbrenner enters fifth season with lofty expectations after averaging 17.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.1 blocked shots per game last season. A year ago he was named Second Team All-BIG EAST and became the third player in league history to be a three-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, joining Alonzo Mourning and Patrick Ewing.
The preseason buzz has ramped up heading into 2024-25 as he's been named Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year and a First Team Preseason All-American by CBS Sports, FOX Sports and Field of 68. He remains the only player in program history to earn multiple Preseason First Team All-BIG EAST accolades, having done so three times. Kalkbrenner also owns Creighton records in NCAA Tournament play for wins played in, points, blocks, field goals and games played in, as CU has made three trips to the Sweet 16 or beyond in his first four seasons.
Kalkbrenner is one of seven BIG EAST representatives on the list, as he's joined by Kam Jones (Marquette), Alex Karaban (Connecticut), Liam McNeeley (Connecticut), Kadary Richmond (St. John's), Eric Dixon (Villanova) and Bryce Hopkins (Providence).
Creighton opens the regular-season on Nov. 6 when it hosts UTRGV at 8 p.m.
| 2024-25 JERSEY MIKE'S NAISMITH TROPHY MEN'S PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST PRESENTED BY AXIA TIME |
||||
| FULL NAME | CLASS | POS | SCHOOL | CONFERENCE |
| Robbie Avila | Junior | C | Saint Louis | Atlantic 10 |
| Airious "Ace" Bailey | Freshman | G/F | Rutgers | Big Ten |
| Adrian "Ace" Baldwin Jr. | Graduate Student | G | Penn State | Big Ten |
| Oumar Ballo | Senior | C | Indiana | Big Ten |
| Johni Broome | Senior | F/C | Auburn | SEC |
| Markus Burton | Sophomore | G | Notre Dame | ACC |
| Walter Clayton Jr. | Senior | G | Florida | SEC |
| L.J. Cryer | Graduate Student | G | Houston | Big 12 |
| RJ Davis | Graduate Student | G | North Carolina | ACC |
| Johnell Davis | Senior | G | Arkansas | SEC |
| Tyson Degenhart | Senior | F | Boise State | Mountain West |
| Tucker DeVries | Senior | G/F | West Virginia | Big 12 |
| Hunter Dickinson | Graduate Student | C | Kansas | Big 12 |
| Eric Dixon | Graduate Student | F | Villanova | BIG EAST |
| VJ Edgecombe | Freshman | G | Baylor | Big 12 |
| Cooper Flagg | Freshman | G/F | Duke | ACC |
| Dawson Garcia | Senior | F | Minnesota | Big Ten |
| Tyon Grant-Foster | Graduate Student | G | Grand Canyon | WAC |
| Dylan Harper | Freshman | G | Rutgers | Big Ten |
| Dajuan Harris Jr. | Graduate Student | G | Kansas | Big 12 |
| Coleman Hawkins | Senior | W | Kansas State | Big 12 |
| Bryce Hopkins | Senior | F/G | Providence | BIG EAST |
| Graham Ike | Senior | F | Gonzaga | WCC |
| Tre Johnson | Freshman | G | Texas | SEC |
| Kam Jones | Senior | G | Marquette | BIG EAST |
| Ryan Kalkbrenner | Senior | C | Creighton | BIG EAST |
| Alex Karaban | Junior | F | UConn | BIG EAST |
| Kon Knueppel | Freshman | G/F | Duke | ACC |
| Yaxel Lendeborg | Senior | F | UAB | AAC |
| Tamin Lipsey | Junior | G | Iowa State | Big 12 |
| Caleb Love | Fifth Year | G | Arizona | Big 12 |
| Liam McNeeley | Freshman | F | UConn | BIG EAST |
| Matthew Murrell | Senior | G | Ole Miss | SEC |
| Grant Nelson | Graduate Student | F | Alabama | SEC |
| Ryan Nembhard | Senior | G | Gonzaga | WCC |
| Norchad Omier | Fifth Year | F | Baylor | Big 12 |
| Great Osobor | Senior | F | Washington | Big Ten |
| Kadary Richmond | Graduate Student | G | St. John's | BIG EAST |
| Jeremy Roach | Fifth Year | G | Baylor | Big 12 |
| J'Wan Roberts | Graduate Student | F | Houston | Big 12 |
| Jaxson Robinson | Graduate Student | G | Kentucky | SEC |
| Hunter Sallis | Senior | G | Wake Forest | ACC |
| Payton Sandfort | Senior | F | Iowa | Big Ten |
| Mark Sears | Graduate Student | G | Alabama | SEC |
| Jackson Shelstad | Sophomore | G | Oregon | Big Ten |
| Braden Smith | Junior | G | Purdue | Big Ten |
| AJ Storr | Junior | G | Kansas | Big 12 |
| Wade Taylor IV | Graduate Student | G | Texas A&M | SEC |
| Bruce Thornton | Junior | G | Ohio State | Big Ten |
| Zakai Zeigler | Senior | G | Tennessee | SEC |
Players Mentioned
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