Duke sophomore forward Matthew Hurt has been named to the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award watch list. The Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award is an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men’s collegiate power forward.
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.
A native of Rochester, Minn., Hurt appeared in all 31 games last season, making 22 starts. He averaged 9.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per contest and reached double figures in scoring 17 times. A threat from the perimeter, Hurt’s 39-percent shooting clip from three-point range was the 10th-best by a Duke freshman in program history (minimum 30 three-point field goals). He earned ACC Freshman of the Week honors following a career-high 25 points in a win over Boston College on Dec. 31.
Hurt will seek to become the second Blue Devil in three years to win the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award, as Zion Williamson claimed the honor in 2019.
In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2021 Karl Malone 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 award will be presented on Friday, April 9, 2021, along with the other four members of the Naismith 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.
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.
| PLAYER NAME | SCHOOL |
|---|---|
| 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 |
