SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Washington State men's basketball junior Josh Hawkinson has been named one of 10 finalists for the 2016 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Friday.
Hawkinson is one of three Pac-12 student-athletes to be named a finalist, as he's joined by Josh Scott of Colorado and Jakob Poeltl of Utah.
Named after Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the annual honor in its second year recognizes the top centers in men's college basketball. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates in October, which has been narrowed to ten.
“When it comes to collegiate centers, none have accomplished more than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and we are pleased to include him in this celebration of the best in the game today,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “The ten athletes on this list should be very proud of what they have accomplished and we look forward to watching them play as they head towards the postseason.”
Hawkinson leads the Pac-12 and is fifth in the nation with 16 double-doubles in just 21 games. During WSU's overtime game against Washington on Jan. 9, Hawkinson completed his first 20-20 double-double, grabbing 20 rebounds, and adding 21 points. He's the only Pac-12 student-athlete this season to grab 20 or more rebounds and score 20 or more points in a single game, and one of 13 student-athletes in the country to accomplish the feat at least once. He currently ranks third on WSU's career list with 36 double-doubles, and is on pace to finish with 23 double-doubles this season, ending his junior year second-best in WSU history with 43 double-doubles.
After a breakout season as a sophomore last year, Hawkinson averages 11.0 rebounds per game with 610 career rebounds, ranking 12th for all-time for career rebounds at WSU. If he continues averaging 15.9 points per game, he's projected to end the season with 966 career points, just shy of 1,000.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played for legendary coach John Wooden at UCLA 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).
In March, five finalists will be presented to 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, Calif., 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 10 Finalists
Moses Kingsley, Arkansas
Josh Scott, Colorado
Egidijus Mockevicius, Evansville
Zach Auguste, Notre Dame
AJ Hammons, Purdue
Jakob Poeltl, Utah
Josh Hawkinson, Washington State
Joel Bolomboy, Weber State
