Corey Kispert and Drew Timme Named Naismith Player of the Year Semifinalists

Gonzaga Bulldogs senior guard/forward Corey Kispert and sophomore center Drew Timme have both been named Naismith Player of the Year Semifinalists. The Zags are the only team with two players on the list.

That fact right there is the exact reason why Gonzaga has been the No. 1 team in the nation all year, and it doesn’t even include potential top-5 NBA Draft pick, Jalen Suggs.

Kispert and Timme are the top two scorers on the nation’s best offense, averaging 19.5 points and 18.9 points per game, respectively. Kispert, after flirting with the NBA Draft, came back for his senior year and turned himself into a potential NBA pick into a potential lottery pick. Timme stepped into the limelight after the departure of Filip Petrusev and has not skipped a beat in the post. His PER this season of 32.4 tops the WCC and is fifth in the nation.

Alas, there are a lot of really good players on this list, so we cannot say it is Kispert or Timme’s to lose. In fact, if anything, they are probably considered underdogs.

Here are the 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Player of the Year

• Jared Butler, Baylor
• Cade Cunningham, Oklahoma State
• Hunter Dickinson, Michigan
• Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois
• Luke Garza, Iowa
• Quentin Grims, Houston
• Herbert Jones, Alabama
• Corey Kispert, Gonzaga
• Evan Mobley, USC
• Drew Timme, Gonzaga