LOGAN, Utah-Utah State junior center Neemias Queta has been named as one of ten finalists nationally for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar award.
This was confirmed by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Friday.
This is awarded annually to the top center in NCAA Division I men’s basketball.
The other 10 finalists for the award include
Iowa senior Luke Garza
Illinois sophomore Kofi Cockburn
Michigan freshman Hunter Dickinson
Minnesota junior Liam Robbins
Providence senior Nate Watson
Purdue junior Trevion Williams
USC freshman Evan Mobley
West Virginia junior Derek Culver
Western Kentucky junior Charles Bassey.
Queta is also one of 15 finalists for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award.
The Portuguese national is joined by Bassey and Mobley on this list as well as the following:
Baylor junior guard Jared Butler
Baylor junior guard Davion Mitchell
Baylor senior guard/forward Mark Vital
Pittsburgh sophomore forward Justin Champagnie
Virginia junior guard Kihei Clark
Kansas senior guard Marcus Garrett
Richmond senior guard Jacob Gilyard
Alabama senior forward/guard Herbert Jones
Coastal Carolina junior guard DeVante’ Jones
Tennessee senior guard/forward Yves Pons
Clemson senior forward Aamir Sims
Michigan sophomore guard Franz Wagner
Queta posts 2.94 blocks per game, ranking him 7th nationally. He leads the Aggies with 12.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. His 22 steals also lead the squad.
