(Omaha, NE) -- Creighton basketball standout Ryan Kalkbrenner is announced as one of the Top 10 candidates for the 2023 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award.
On Friday, the Basketball Hall of Fame announced the Top 10 candidates for the 2023 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award. Named after Class of 1995 Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the annual honor in its ninth year recognizes the top center in Division I men's college basketball.
A junior from Florissant, Missouri, Kalkbrenner leads #23 Creighton with 15.2 points per game. He ranks third in the nation in field goal percentage (.724) and 14th with 2.33 blocked shots per game. Kalkbrenner was named a Preseason All-BIG EAST selection and is one of 15 men on the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List.
2023 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Candidates*
- Oumar Ballo, Arizona
- Armando Bacot, North Carolina
- Adama Sanogo, Connecticut
- Zach Edey, Purdue
- Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
- Cliff Omoruyi, Rutgers
- Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky
- Joel Soriano, St. John's
- Hunter Dickinson, Michigan
- Jack Nunge, Xavier
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2022-2023 season.
Four of the 10 candidates for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award hail from the BIG EAST. Fans can support their favorite players in the remaining rounds by participating in Fan Voting at hoophallawards.com. The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.
In March, five finalists will be presented to Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. The Selection Committee for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award is composed of top men's college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers.