SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Duke freshman Vernon Carey Jr., is one of 20 named to the watch list for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, presented annually by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top center in college basketball.
A five-star recruit from Southwest Ranches, Fla., Carey is a two-time gold medalist with USA Basketball having helped the 2017 U16 team and the 2018 U17 team to titles. Carey was the fifth ranked player overall in this class, the No. 3 center, and a 2019 McDonald’s All-American. He averaged 21.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game his senior year at NSU University School.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played for legendary coach and Hall of Famer John Wooden at UCLA 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.
New to the award this season is Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. By mid-February, the watch list of 20 players for the Abdul-Jabbar Award will be narrowed to just 10. In March, five finalists will be presented to Mr. Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2020 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy’s in Los Angeles on Friday, April 10, 2020.
2020 Abdul-Jabbar Award Watch List
Chase Jeter — Arizona
Nico Carvacho — Colorado State
Vernon Carey Jr. — Duke
Kerry Blackshear — Florida
Omer Yurtseven — Georgetown
Luka Garza — Iowa
Udoka Azubuike — Kansas
Steven Enoch — Louisville
James Wiseman — Memphis
Jon Teske — Michigan
Jeremiah Tilmon — Missouri
Armando Bacot — North Carolina
Nate Watson — Providence
Matt Haarms — Purdue
Nick Rakocevic — USC
Neemias Queta — Utah State
Isaiah Stewart — Washington
Derek Culver — West Virginia
Charles Bassey — Western Kentucky
Nathan Knight — William & Mary
