Kaleb Wesson Finalist for Abdul-Jabbar Award
2/7/2020 1:00:19 PM | Men's Basketball
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COLUMBUS – Kaleb Wesson, a junior center, is one of 10 finalists for the 2020 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award. The honor is presented annually by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Wesson, who leads Ohio State in both scoring (14.3 ppg.) and rebounding (9.8 rpg.) also has the most field goals made (101), free throws made (82) and blocks (25).
This season he became Ohio State’s 58th all-time player with 1,000 career points (1,121) and is one rebound shy of becoming the 22nd Buckeye with 6oo career rebounds.
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Narrows
Watch List for 2020 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award
Top Ten Collegiate Centers Named as Candidates for the “Naismith Starting Five”
Springfield, Mass. (Feb. 7, 2020) — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today the 10 candidates for the 2020 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award. Named after Class of 1995 Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the annual honor in its sixth year recognizes the top centers in men’s college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates in October, which has now been narrowed to just 10.
“The athletes on this list model many of the traits that made Kareem Adbul-Jabbar a world-class player,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “Mr. Abdul-Jabbar is unmatched when it comes to his accomplishments at both the collegiate and professional level. As an advocate for education and character, he brings a unique perspective when evaluating talent and we greatly value his input throughout this process.”
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played for legendary coach and Hall of Famer John Wooden at the University of California, Los Angeles from 1966-1969. He is a three-time NCAA Champion who earned numerous accolades including three-time Final Four Most Outstanding Player, three-time National College Player of the Year and three-time Consensus First-Team All-American (1967-1969). As a professional, Abdul-Jabbar is a six-time NBA Champion, six-time NBA Most Valuable Player, two-time NBA Finals MVP, 19-time NBA All-Star and the league’s all-time leading scorer.
Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live today, February 7 via hoophallawards.com. In March, five finalists will be presented to Mr. Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee The winner of the 2020 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy’s in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 10, 2020, along with the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five.
Additional awards being presented and receiving support from Eaton Ephesus Lighting include the Bob Cousy Point Guard Award, the Jerry West Shooting Guard Award, the Julius Erving Small Forward Award and the Karl Malone Power Forward Award, in addition to the Women’s Starting Five. Broadcast information will be released by ESPN at a later date.
Previous winners of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award include Ethan Happ, Wisconsin (2019), Angel Delgado, Seton Hall (2018), Przemek Karnowski, Gonzaga (2017), Jakob Poeltl, Utah (2016) and Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin (2015).
2020 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Candidates*
| Vernon Carey Jr. | Duke |
| Omer Yurtseven | Georgetown |
| Filip Petrusev | Gonzaga |
| Luka Garza | Iowa |
| Udoka Azubuike | Kansas |
| Daniel Oturu | Minnesota |
| Kaleb Wesson | Ohio State |
| Onyeka Okongwu | USC |
| Isaiah Stewart | Washington |
| Nathan Knight | William and Mary |
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2019-20 season*
