SPRINGFIELD, Mass.-Thursday, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced BYU men’s basketball senior forward Yoeli Childs is one of 10 candidates for the 2020 Karl Malone Power Forward of the year award.
This award is in its sixth year of existence and it recognizes the top power forwards in Division I men’s college basketball.
Despite serving an NCAA-mandated suspension to commence the season and suffering a litany of nagging injuries after the suspension, Childs leads the Cougars in scoring (21 points per game), rebounding (9 boards per game) and blocked shots (12).
He also shoots a second-best on the team, 61.4 percent from the field (97-158) and leads the team in 3-point field goal percentage at 56.5 percent (13-23).
Childs is joined by elite company as the award is down to its final 10 candidates.
Other luminaries vying for this honor are Arizona freshman forward Zeke Nnaji (16.2 points, 8.8 rebounds per game; 21 blocked shots, the Wildcats’ leader in all these categories), Colorado forward Tyler Bey (13.3 points per game and the Buffaloes’ leader in rebounds [8.9 boards per game] and blocked shots [27]), Dayton redshirt sophomore forward Obi Toppin who leads the Flyers in scoring (19.7 points per game), rebounding (8 boards per game) and blocked shots (29), Gonzaga senior forward, Frenchman Killian Tille (12.6 points, 5 rebounds per game, 17 blocked shots, Maryland sophomore forward Jalen Smith (15.2 points per game, a team-best 10 rebounds per game; the Terrapins’ leader in blocked shots with 54), Michigan State junior forward Xavier Tillman (13.3 points per game; team-bests in rebounding [10.1 boards per game] and blocked shots [50]), Mississippi State sophomore forward Reggie Perry, who leads the Bulldogs in scoring (17.1 points per game) and rebounding (10 boards per game) and is second on the squad in blocked shots (21), Notre Dame senior forward John Mooney, who leads the Fighting Irish in scoring (16.5 points per game), rebounding (13 boards per game) and is second on the squad in steals (26) and blocked shots (51) and Saint Louis junior forward Hasahn French (12.2 points per game and team-bests in rebounding [11 boards per game] and blocked shots [60]).
The recipient of this award will be announced April 10 at the College Basketball Awards show at Los Angeles.
Previous winners of this award include Montrezl Harrell, Louisville (2015), Georges Niang, Iowa State (2016), Johnathan Motley, Baylor (2017), DeAndre Ayton, Arizona (2018) and Zion Williamson, Duke (2019), each of whom are solid contributors in the NBA at the moment.
