University of Memphis Athletics
Duren Named to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Watch List
Oct 22, 2021 | Men's Basketball
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Memphis Tigers freshman center Jalen Duren has been named to the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Watch List, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Friday.
Duren was voted the American Athletic Conference's Preseason Rookie of the Year, and he was also named to the Preseason All-Conference First Team. A 6-11 center, Duren helped Montverde Academy (Fla.) to the 2021 High School Nationals championship as a junior last season and averaged 14.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game while shooting 62.9 percent from the floor.
Duren and Emoni Bates, who is on the 2022 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award Watch List, formed part of Memphis' top-ranked recruiting class after reclassifying to the Class of 2021 to be eligible this season.
Four Tigers are on national award watch lists this preseason, as Duren, Bates, Landers Nolley II (Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year) and DeAndre Williams (Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year) earned the spotlight. All four were also recognized by the AAC this preseason.
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 late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award will be narrowed to 10, and then in late February down to five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Mr. Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame's selection committee where a winner will be selected.
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 www.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #KareemAward on Twitter and Instagram. Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies is live today.
2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Candidates
Walker Kessler Auburn
Nick Muszyinski Belmont
Mark Williams Duke
Colin Castleton Florida
Chet Holmgren Gonzaga
Kofi Cockburn Illinois
David McCormack Kansas
Oscar Tshiebwe Kentucky
Ahsan Asadullah Lipscomb
Qudus Wahab Maryland
Jalen Duren Memphis
Hunter Dickinson Michigan
Armando Bacot North Carolina
Moussa Cisse Oklahoma State
Nate Watson Providence
Zach Edey Purdue
Osun Osunniyi St. Bonaventure
Myles Johnson UCLA
Fardaws Aimaq Utah Valley
Liam Robbins Vanderbilt
Up ahead for the Tigers is a pair of preseason exhibition games at FedExForum against LeMoyne-Owen on Sunday at 4 p.m. and Lane College on Sunday, Oct. 31 at 1 p.m.
Season tickets for all 18 home games in 2021-22 start as low as $100 per seat and are available online at www.GoTigersGoTix.com or by phone at (901) 678-2331.
How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tigers Athletics, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the department's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Duren was voted the American Athletic Conference's Preseason Rookie of the Year, and he was also named to the Preseason All-Conference First Team. A 6-11 center, Duren helped Montverde Academy (Fla.) to the 2021 High School Nationals championship as a junior last season and averaged 14.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game while shooting 62.9 percent from the floor.
Duren and Emoni Bates, who is on the 2022 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award Watch List, formed part of Memphis' top-ranked recruiting class after reclassifying to the Class of 2021 to be eligible this season.
Four Tigers are on national award watch lists this preseason, as Duren, Bates, Landers Nolley II (Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year) and DeAndre Williams (Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year) earned the spotlight. All four were also recognized by the AAC this preseason.
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 late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award will be narrowed to 10, and then in late February down to five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Mr. Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame's selection committee where a winner will be selected.
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 www.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #KareemAward on Twitter and Instagram. Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies is live today.
2022 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Candidates
Walker Kessler Auburn
Nick Muszyinski Belmont
Mark Williams Duke
Colin Castleton Florida
Chet Holmgren Gonzaga
Kofi Cockburn Illinois
David McCormack Kansas
Oscar Tshiebwe Kentucky
Ahsan Asadullah Lipscomb
Qudus Wahab Maryland
Jalen Duren Memphis
Hunter Dickinson Michigan
Armando Bacot North Carolina
Moussa Cisse Oklahoma State
Nate Watson Providence
Zach Edey Purdue
Osun Osunniyi St. Bonaventure
Myles Johnson UCLA
Fardaws Aimaq Utah Valley
Liam Robbins Vanderbilt
Up ahead for the Tigers is a pair of preseason exhibition games at FedExForum against LeMoyne-Owen on Sunday at 4 p.m. and Lane College on Sunday, Oct. 31 at 1 p.m.
Season tickets for all 18 home games in 2021-22 start as low as $100 per seat and are available online at www.GoTigersGoTix.com or by phone at (901) 678-2331.
How to follow the Tigers: For complete information on Memphis Tigers Athletics, visit www.GoTigersGo.com and follow the department's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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