Photo by: Creighton Athletics
Justin Patton Named to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Watch List
10/21/2016 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Redshirt freshmen one of 20 men listed
SPRINGFIELD, MASS. – Creighton center Justin Patton has gained national notoriety before he's ever played in a collegiate game that counts.
The 7-foot center from Omaha has been named by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as one of 20 men on the watch list for the 2017 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award.
Named after Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the annual honor in its third year recognizes the top centers in men's college basketball. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel determined the candidates.
Patton prepped at Omaha North High School, but redshirted in his first year at Creighton. He arrived on The Hilltop as a five-star recruit and ranked 24th in the final 2015 Scout.com recruiting rankings. He scored seven points and had two rebounds during six minutes of play in last year's exhibition game against Upper Iowa, then sat out the rest of the year while adding 15 pounds to his frame. He also averaged 7.0 points and 5.3 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per game during Creighton's three-game trip to Italy last August.
"When it comes to collegiate centers, none have accomplished more than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar," said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. "As steadfast advocate of the college game and its place in the development of young men as people and athletes, we know Mr. Abdul-Jabbar will offer great insights as we determine the top center in the game this season."
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).
"I'm honored to be the namesake of this award and hope the candidates on our watch list will feel a sense of pride," said Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a 1995 inductee of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and six-time NBA Champion. "These twenty student-athletes truly represent the best in the college game today and I am eager to see what they will achieve in the 2016-17 season."
By mid-February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2017 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 2017 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be presented at the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show presented by Wendy's in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 7, 2017. Broadcast information will be released at a later date.
Previous winners of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award include Jakob Poeltl, Utah (2016) and Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin (2015). For more information on the 2017 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, log onto www.HoophallAwards.com.
Patton is the second Bluejay named to a watch list this week, joining senior teammate Maurice Watson Jr. Watson is a candidate for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award.
Creighton tips off exhibition play on November 4 vs. Wayne State before opening the regular-season on November 11 against UMKC.
2017 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Candidates
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2016-17 season*
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was invented, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame promotes and preserves the game of basketball at every level – professional, collegiate and high school, for both men and women on the global stage.
For more information:
Visit us online: www.hoophall.com or www.hoophallawards.com
… on Facebook: www.facebook.com/BHOF
… on Twitter/Instagram: @hoophall #KareemAward #CBBAwards
… or call 1-877-4-HOOPLA
The 7-foot center from Omaha has been named by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as one of 20 men on the watch list for the 2017 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award.
Named after Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the annual honor in its third year recognizes the top centers in men's college basketball. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel determined the candidates.
Patton prepped at Omaha North High School, but redshirted in his first year at Creighton. He arrived on The Hilltop as a five-star recruit and ranked 24th in the final 2015 Scout.com recruiting rankings. He scored seven points and had two rebounds during six minutes of play in last year's exhibition game against Upper Iowa, then sat out the rest of the year while adding 15 pounds to his frame. He also averaged 7.0 points and 5.3 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per game during Creighton's three-game trip to Italy last August.
"When it comes to collegiate centers, none have accomplished more than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar," said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. "As steadfast advocate of the college game and its place in the development of young men as people and athletes, we know Mr. Abdul-Jabbar will offer great insights as we determine the top center in the game this season."
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).
"I'm honored to be the namesake of this award and hope the candidates on our watch list will feel a sense of pride," said Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a 1995 inductee of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and six-time NBA Champion. "These twenty student-athletes truly represent the best in the college game today and I am eager to see what they will achieve in the 2016-17 season."
By mid-February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2017 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 2017 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be presented at the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show presented by Wendy's in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 7, 2017. Broadcast information will be released at a later date.
Previous winners of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award include Jakob Poeltl, Utah (2016) and Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin (2015). For more information on the 2017 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, log onto www.HoophallAwards.com.
Patton is the second Bluejay named to a watch list this week, joining senior teammate Maurice Watson Jr. Watson is a candidate for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award.
Creighton tips off exhibition play on November 4 vs. Wayne State before opening the regular-season on November 11 against UMKC.
2017 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Candidates
| Moses Kingsley | Arkansas |
| Eric Mika | Brigham Young University |
| Justin Patton | Creighton |
| Marques Bolden | Duke |
| Zena Edosomwan | Harvard |
| Thomas Bryant | Indiana |
| Bam Adebayo | Kentucky |
| Tim Kempton | Lehigh |
| Omer Yurtseven | North Carolina St. |
| Chris Boucher | Oregon |
| Isaac Haas | Purdue |
| Paschal Chukwu | Syracuse |
| Jarrett Allen | Texas |
| Tyler Davis | Texas A&M |
| Thomas Welsh | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Kennedy Meeks | North Carolina |
| Luke Kornet | Vanderbilt |
| Mo Alie-Cox | Virginia Commonwealth University |
| Josh Hawkinson | Washington St. |
| Ethan Happ | Wisconsin |
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was invented, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame promotes and preserves the game of basketball at every level – professional, collegiate and high school, for both men and women on the global stage.
For more information:
Visit us online: www.hoophall.com or www.hoophallawards.com
… on Facebook: www.facebook.com/BHOF
… on Twitter/Instagram: @hoophall #KareemAward #CBBAwards
… or call 1-877-4-HOOPLA
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