Oct. 16, 2015
Vanderbilt junior center Damian Jones has been named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Watch List, an award that honors the top centers in men’s college basketball.
A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
Jones, who was a finalist for the award a year ago, was named to the All-SEC First Team and the All-Defensive team as a sophomore after averaging 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game.
The award is named after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion, who was also a 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).
By mid-February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2016 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award will be narrowed down to just 10. In March, five finalists will be presented to Mr. Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2016 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be presented at the ESPN College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy’s from Club Nokia in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 8, 2016. Broadcast information will be released at a later date.
Last season, Frank Kaminsky of Wisconsin was named the inaugural winner of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award. For more information on the 2016 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, log onto www.HoophallAwards.com.
2016 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Candidates
Kaleb Tarczewski, Arizona
Mamadou Ndiaye, UC Irvine
Josh Scott, Colorado
Egidijus Mockevicius, Evansville
Przemek Karnowski, Gonzaga
Thomas Bryant, Indiana
Jameel McKay, Iowa State
Cheick Diallo, Kansas
Skal Labissiere, Kentucky
Diamond Stone, Maryland
Stephen Zimmerman, UNLV
Kennedy Meeks, North Carolina
Zach Auguste, Notre Dame
AJ Hammons, Purdue
Jakob Poeltl, Utah
Damian Jones, Vanderbilt
Daniel Ochefu, Villanova
Josh Hawkinson, Washington State
Joel Bolomboy, Weber State
Devin Williams, West Virginia
