LSU sophomore Trendon Watford is among the 20 watch list members announced on Thursday for the 2021 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award.
Presented by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the award is named after Class of 2010 Hall of Famer and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Karl Malone. The annual honor, in its seventh year, recognizes the top power forwards in Division I men’s college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
“The Basketball Hall of Fame is proud to annually acknowledge the best in the collegiate game with positional awards bearing the names of some of the greatest Hall of Famers of all time,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “To be named to the watchlist of the Naismith Starting Five is a great honor and I know our Hall of Famers sincerely enjoy the opportunity to watch these players compete. We thank Mr. Malone for his unwavering support over the years and the unique perspective he brings to ultimately selecting a winner.”
Watford earned league All-Freshman team honors after averaged 13.6 points and 7.2 rebounds a year ago. Watford started 30-of-31 games as a freshman and shot 48.9 percent from the field with 18 three-pointers. The Birmingham, Alabama native had 53 assists, 22 blocks and 27 steals. He averaged 13.8 points and 8.1 rebounds in the 18 league games.
Karl Malone attended Louisiana Tech University due to its close proximity to his hometown of Summerfield, Louisiana. He led the Bulldogs to a Sweet 16 appearance and earned All-Southland honors in his three seasons while averaging 18.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Malone achieved great success during his 19 seasons in the NBA as a 14-time NBA All-Star (1988-98, 2000-02), 11-time All-NBA First Team player (1989-99) and a member of the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. He also won two Olympic gold medals (1992, 1996).
College basketball fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2021 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award will be narrowed to just 10. In late February, five finalists will be presented to Mr. Malone and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee.
The winner of the 2021 Karl Malone Award will be presented on Friday, April 9, 2021, along with the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Point Guard Award, the Jerry West Shooting Guard Award, the Julius Erving Small Forward Award and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center Award, in addition to the Women’s Starting Five.
Previous winners of the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award include Obi Toppin, Dayton (2020), Zion Williamson, Duke (2019), Deandre Ayton, Arizona (2018), Johnathan Motley, Baylor (2017), Georges Niang, Iowa State (2016) and Montrezl Harrell, Louisville (2015).
For more information on the 2021 Karl Malone Award and the latest updates, log onto www.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #MaloneAward on Twitter and Instagram. Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on Friday, November 6.
2021 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award Candidates*
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
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2020-2021 season*
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo “Court of Dreams.” Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit www.hoophall.com, follow @hoophall or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.