Champaign, ILL.– Illinois junior Kofi Cockburn is one of 10 watch list members for the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Friday.
Named after Class of 1995 Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the annual honor in its eighth year recognizes the top centers in men's college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates in November, which has now been narrowed to 10:
Walker Kessler (Auburn), Adama Sanogo (Connecticut), Mark Williams (Duke), Drew Timme (Gonzaga), Kofi Cockburn (Illinois), Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky), Hunter Dickinson (Michigan), Armando Bacot (North Carolina), Nate Watson (Providence) and Zach Edey (Purdue).
Cockburn is a leading candidate for the Abdul-Jabbar Award, having a dominant season for the 18th-ranked Fighting Illini:
• First high-major conference player in the last 13 years averaging 22+ points and 11+ rebounds
• Sixth in NCAA in scoring at 22.1 ppg
• Fifth in NCAA in rebounding at 11.6 rpg
• One of just two players nationally averaging at least 20 points and 10 rebounds
• Second in NCAA with eight games of 20+ points and 10+ boards
• Only player ranked in the top 15 in the country in both scoring and rebounding
• Fifth nationally in kenpom offensive rating (118.6)
• Eighth in NCAA in double-doubles (12), despite missing five games
• 40 career double-doubles, most in the NCAA over the last three years
• 10th in NCAA in field goal shooting at 61.1%
College basketball fans are encouraged to participate now in Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies. In late February, the watch list of 10 players for the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award will be narrowed to 5. In March those finalists will be presented to Mr. Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame's selection committee where a winner will be selected.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played for legendary coach and Hall of Famer John Wooden at the University of California, Los Angeles 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). As a professional, Abdul-Jabbar is a six-time NBA Champion, six-time NBA Most Valuable Player, two-time NBA Finals MVP, 19-time NBA All-Star and the league's all-time leading scorer. In 2021 The NBA created the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award, which honors players who are making strides in the fight for social justice.
The winner of the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Men's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Point Guard Award, Jerry West Shooting Guard Award, the Julius Erving Small Forward Award and the Karl Malone Power Forward Award, in addition to the Women's Starting Five.
Previous winners of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award include two-time winner Luka Garza, Iowa (2020-21), Ethan Happ, Wisconsin (2019), Angel Delgado, Seton Hall (2018), Przemek Karnowski, Gonzaga (2017), Jakob Poeltl, Utah (2016) and Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin (2015).
For more information on the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award and the latest updates, log onto hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #KareemAward on Twitter and Instagram.
Named after Class of 1995 Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the annual honor in its eighth year recognizes the top centers in men's college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates in November, which has now been narrowed to 10:
Walker Kessler (Auburn), Adama Sanogo (Connecticut), Mark Williams (Duke), Drew Timme (Gonzaga), Kofi Cockburn (Illinois), Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky), Hunter Dickinson (Michigan), Armando Bacot (North Carolina), Nate Watson (Providence) and Zach Edey (Purdue).
Cockburn is a leading candidate for the Abdul-Jabbar Award, having a dominant season for the 18th-ranked Fighting Illini:
• First high-major conference player in the last 13 years averaging 22+ points and 11+ rebounds
• Sixth in NCAA in scoring at 22.1 ppg
• Fifth in NCAA in rebounding at 11.6 rpg
• One of just two players nationally averaging at least 20 points and 10 rebounds
• Second in NCAA with eight games of 20+ points and 10+ boards
• Only player ranked in the top 15 in the country in both scoring and rebounding
• Fifth nationally in kenpom offensive rating (118.6)
• Eighth in NCAA in double-doubles (12), despite missing five games
• 40 career double-doubles, most in the NCAA over the last three years
• 10th in NCAA in field goal shooting at 61.1%
College basketball fans are encouraged to participate now in Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies. In late February, the watch list of 10 players for the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award will be narrowed to 5. In March those finalists will be presented to Mr. Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame's selection committee where a winner will be selected.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played for legendary coach and Hall of Famer John Wooden at the University of California, Los Angeles 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). As a professional, Abdul-Jabbar is a six-time NBA Champion, six-time NBA Most Valuable Player, two-time NBA Finals MVP, 19-time NBA All-Star and the league's all-time leading scorer. In 2021 The NBA created the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award, which honors players who are making strides in the fight for social justice.
The winner of the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Men's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Point Guard Award, Jerry West Shooting Guard Award, the Julius Erving Small Forward Award and the Karl Malone Power Forward Award, in addition to the Women's Starting Five.
Previous winners of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award include two-time winner Luka Garza, Iowa (2020-21), Ethan Happ, Wisconsin (2019), Angel Delgado, Seton Hall (2018), Przemek Karnowski, Gonzaga (2017), Jakob Poeltl, Utah (2016) and Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin (2015).
For more information on the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award and the latest updates, log onto hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #KareemAward on Twitter and Instagram.
