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Sophomore Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Drew Timme has been named to the Karl Malone Award Watch List on Thursday. The award goes out to the top forward in college hoops each season.
As a freshman, Timme put up stellar numbers in somewhat limited minutes, averaging 9.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in just 20.5 minutes. He shot 61.8 percent from the floor.
Timme played behind Filip Petrusev for much of the year, and is now established to run amok in the frontcourt. The award showcases some of the limitations of the positions here. With Anton Watson also available, it will be interesting to see how many minutes Timme logs as the “power forward.” Then again, Rui Hacimura won the Julius Erving Award as the top small forward in the nation in 2019 despite logging a majority of his minutes at the four spot.
That makes it a clean sweep so far for Gonzaga in the preseason awards. Jalen Suggs, Joel Ayayi, and Corey Kispert have all been nominated for point guard, shooting guard, and small forward, respectively. If Oumar Ballo somehow secures a center nomination, than the hype train is off to the moon.
Here are all of the Karl Malone Award Watch Listers:
- Mark Vital, Baylor
- Aamir Simms, Clemson
- Matthew Hurt, Duke
- Drew Timme, Gonzaga
- Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana
- Isaiah Jackson, Kentucky
- Trendon Watford, LSU
- Tre Mitchell, Massachusetts
- Garrison Brooks, North Carolina
- Seth Towns, Ohio State
- Brady Manek, Oklahoma
- Hasahn French, Saint Louis
- Sandro Mamukelashvili, Seton Hall
- Oscar da Silva, Stanford
- John Fulkerson, Tennessee
- Greg Brown, Texas
- Kevin Marfo, Texas A&M
- Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Villanova
- Oscar Tshiebwe, West Virginia
- Nate Reuvers, Wisconsin