Kalkbrenner Named to 2025 Naismith Men's Defensive Player of the Year Watch List
2/5/2025 1:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Senior center has been a finalist the last two years
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 Presented by Molecule, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Wednesday.
Kalkbrenner leads the BIG EAST with 2.76 blocked shots per game, which ranks fourth nationally. In league play Kalkbrenner paces the conference with 3.00 blocked shots per game. He also ranks first in the BIG EAST in field goal percentage (.676), second in rebounds per game (8.4) and third in points per game (18.5).
Last season the Florissant, Mo., native became the third player in league history to be named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year three times (joining Alonzo Mourning and Patrick Ewing), 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 in 2022-23.
Kalkbrenner has also been named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Watch List, the Wooden Award Midseason Watch List and Preseason Naismith Award Watch List during his senior campaign. He was also named a Preseason All-American by CBS Sports, FOXSports.com and Field of 68, in addition to being Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year.
Last year the 10 semifinalists for the award were named on March 13, with the list being trimmed to four finalists on March 21. Last year Houston's Jamal Shead was announced as the winner on April 7th at the Final Four. Other past winners include UCLA's Jaylen Clark (2022-23), 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).
Creighton (16-6, 9-2 BIG EAST) plays at Providence tonight at 7:30 p.m. Central on FS1.
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Kalkbrenner leads the BIG EAST with 2.76 blocked shots per game, which ranks fourth nationally. In league play Kalkbrenner paces the conference with 3.00 blocked shots per game. He also ranks first in the BIG EAST in field goal percentage (.676), second in rebounds per game (8.4) and third in points per game (18.5).
Last season the Florissant, Mo., native became the third player in league history to be named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year three times (joining Alonzo Mourning and Patrick Ewing), 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 in 2022-23.
Kalkbrenner has also been named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Watch List, the Wooden Award Midseason Watch List and Preseason Naismith Award Watch List during his senior campaign. He was also named a Preseason All-American by CBS Sports, FOXSports.com and Field of 68, in addition to being Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year.
Last year the 10 semifinalists for the award were named on March 13, with the list being trimmed to four finalists on March 21. Last year Houston's Jamal Shead was announced as the winner on April 7th at the Final Four. Other past winners include UCLA's Jaylen Clark (2022-23), 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).
Creighton (16-6, 9-2 BIG EAST) plays at Providence tonight at 7:30 p.m. Central on FS1.
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| 2025 NAISMITH MEN'S DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY MOLECULE WATCH LISTÂ | ||||
| FULL NAME | CLASS | POS | SCHOOL | CONFERENCE |
| Adrian "Ace" Baldwin Jr. | Graduate Student | G | Penn State | Big Ten |
| Johni Broome | Senior | F/C | Auburn | SEC |
| Lamont Butler | Graduate Student | G | Kentucky | SEC |
| Cooper Flagg | Freshman | G/F | Duke | ACC |
| Hayden Gray | Senior | G | UC San Diego | Big West |
| Ryan Kalkbrenner | Senior | C | Creighton | BIG EAST |
| Tamin Lipsey | Junior | G | Iowa State | Big 12 |
| Jahmai Mashack | Senior | G | Tennessee | SEC |
| Cameron Matthews | Graduate Student | F | Mississippi State | SEC |
| Stevie Mitchell | Senior | G | Marquette | BIG EAST |
| Clifford Omoruyi | Graduate Student | C | Alabama | SEC |
| Jayden Quaintance | Freshman | F | Arizona State | Big 12 |
| Kadary Richmond | Graduate Student | G | St. John's | BIG EAST |
| Joseph Tugler | Sophomore | F | Houston | Big 12 |
| Zakai Zeigler | Senior | G | Tennessee | SEC |
Players Mentioned
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