The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has announced Duke freshman Paolo Banchero as one of 20 watch list candidates for the 2022 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award.
Named after Class of 2010 Hall of Famer and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Karl Malone, the annual honor in its eighth 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.
Banchero, the ACC’s Preseason Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, came to Duke as a five-star forward out of Seattle, Wash. He was the No. 3 player in ESPN 100’s rankings for the class of 2021 after a four-year career at O’Dea High School. As a junior, he averaged 22.6 points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.6 blocks per game and was named the Washington Boys Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year.
Banchero is one of two freshman included on the Malone Award watch list along with Auburn’s Jabari Smith. He will seek to become the second Blue Devil to win the award, as Zion Williamson claimed the honor in 2019.
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 Karl Malone Award will be narrowed to 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 a to-be-determined date, along with the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five.
For more information on the 2022 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year 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, October 22.
2022 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award Watch List
Azoulas Tubelis — Arizona
Jabari Smith — Auburn
David Roddy — Colorado St.
Paolo Banchero — Duke
Drew Timme — Gonzaga
Trayce Jackson-Davis — Indiana
Kenneth Lofton Jr. — Louisiana Tech
Eli Scott — Loyola Marymount
Darius Days — LSU
Donta Scott — Maryland
DeAndre Williams — Memphis
Dawson Garcia — North Carolina
EJ Lidell — Ohio State
Quincy Guerrier — Oregon
Trevion Williams — Purdue
John Fulkerson — Tennessee
Tre Mitchell — Texas
Isaiah Mobley — USC
Jayden Gardner — Virginia
Keve Aluma — Virginia Tech
