Kalkbrenner Named to Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List
2/7/2024 4:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Creighton center was a finalist last season for the same award
OMAHA, Neb. -- Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner is one of 15 men on the Watch List for this year's Naismith Trophy Men's Defensive Player of the Year award, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Wednesday.
Kalkbrenner leads the BIG EAST with 2.59 blocked shots per game, which ranks sixth nationally. In league play Kalkbrenner paces the conference with 2.91 blocked shots per game. He also ranks third in the BIG EAST in field goal percentage (.630), fifth in rebounds per game (7.7) and sixth in points per game (16.7).
Last season the Florissant, Mo., native became the 11th player in league history to be named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year multiple times, and was also a finalist for Naismith Trophy Defensive Player of the Year. He was recognized by Field of 68 as their National Defensive Player of the Year.
Kalkbrenner has also been named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Watch List, the Wooden Award Preseason Watch List and Preseason Naismith Award Watch List during his senior campaign. He was also named a Preseason All-American by 247Sports, CBS Sports, FOXSports.com and Sporting News.
Last year the 10 semifinalists for the award were named on Feb. 28th, with the list being trimmed to four finalists on March 14. UCLA's Jaylen Clark was announced as the winner on April 2nd at the Final Four. Other past winners include Auburn's Walker Kessler (2021-22), 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).
Ranked 19th nationally, Creighton (16-6, 7-4 BIG EAST) plays at Providence tonight at 7:30 p.m. Central on FS2. The Friars feature the BIG EAST's only other member on the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List in guard Devin Carter.
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Kalkbrenner leads the BIG EAST with 2.59 blocked shots per game, which ranks sixth nationally. In league play Kalkbrenner paces the conference with 2.91 blocked shots per game. He also ranks third in the BIG EAST in field goal percentage (.630), fifth in rebounds per game (7.7) and sixth in points per game (16.7).
Last season the Florissant, Mo., native became the 11th player in league history to be named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year multiple times, and was also a finalist for Naismith Trophy Defensive Player of the Year. He was recognized by Field of 68 as their National Defensive Player of the Year.
Kalkbrenner has also been named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Watch List, the Wooden Award Preseason Watch List and Preseason Naismith Award Watch List during his senior campaign. He was also named a Preseason All-American by 247Sports, CBS Sports, FOXSports.com and Sporting News.
Last year the 10 semifinalists for the award were named on Feb. 28th, with the list being trimmed to four finalists on March 14. UCLA's Jaylen Clark was announced as the winner on April 2nd at the Final Four. Other past winners include Auburn's Walker Kessler (2021-22), 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).
Ranked 19th nationally, Creighton (16-6, 7-4 BIG EAST) plays at Providence tonight at 7:30 p.m. Central on FS2. The Friars feature the BIG EAST's only other member on the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List in guard Devin Carter.
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NAISMITH MEN'S DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
| FULL NAME | CLASS | POS | SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adrian "Ace" Baldwin Jr. | Senior | G | Penn State |
| Reece Beekman | Senior | G | Virginia |
| Adem Bona | Sophomore | F/C | UCLA |
| Johni Broome | Junior | F/C | Auburn |
| Devin Carter | Junior | G | Providence |
| Ryan Dunn | Sophomore | G | Virginia |
| Zach Edey | Senior | C | Purdue |
| Dajuan Harris Jr. | Junior | G | Kansas |
| Jaelen House | Grad Student | G | New Mexico |
| Ryan Kalkbrenner | Senior | C | Creighton |
| Tamin Lipsey | Sophomore | G | Iowa State |
| Kevin McCullar Jr. | Senior | G | Kansas |
| Clifford Omoruyi | Senior | C | Rutgers |
| Jamal Shead | Senior | G | Houston |
| Zakai Zeigler | Junior | G | Tennessee |
Players Mentioned
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