SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Auburn junior Austin Wiley has been selected to the 2019 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Watch List, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Friday.
Named after Class of 1995 Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the annual honor in its fifth year recognizes the top centers in men's college basketball.
Wiley is one of just 21 candidates on the preseason watch list, including one of only five from the Southeastern Conference, joining Daniel Gafford of Arkansas, Nick Richards of Kentucky, Naz Reid of LSU and Jontay Porter of Missouri.
The Hoover, Ala. native recently returned to Auburn after participating in the 2018 NBA Combine where he tested well among the elite players. He measured in the top 10 overall in body fat and was in the top five among centers in standing vertical, max vertical, standing reach, wingspan, shuttle run and 3/4 court sprint.
Wiley showed his dominance on the international level when he was named the team captain of the 2017 USA U19 World Cup team.
While playing in the FIBA World Cup in Cairo, Egypt last summer, Wiley was the only American and one of just seven players to average a double-double in the tournament with 10.3 points and 10.9 rebounds per game as the United States took home the bronze medal.
Wiley is on the prestigious watch list for the second consecutive season following a promising freshman campaign in which he averaged 8.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 23 games.
He joined the Tigers in the middle of the season and was selected as the SEC Freshman of the Week on Jan. 23 after averaging 14.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in wins against Alabama and LSU.
By mid-February, the watch list of 21 players for the 2019 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award will be narrowed down 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 2019 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy's in Los Angeles, Calif. on Friday, April 12, 2019.
Previous winners of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award include Angel Delgado, Seton Hall (2018), Przemek Karnowski, Gonzaga (2017), Jakob Poeltl, Utah (2016) and Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin (2015).
Auburn tips off its season Nov. 6 vs. South Alabama at 8 p.m. CT on the SEC Network and the Auburn Sports Network. For tickets, please visit AUBTIX.com.
2019 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Watch List
Daniel Gafford, Arkansas
Austin Wiley, Auburn
James Thompson IV, Eastern Michigan
Jessie Govan, Georgetown
Killian Tillie, Gonzaga
Alessandro Lever, Grand Canyon
Udoka Azubuike, Kansas
Nick Richards, Kentucky
Cameron Krutwig, Loyola Chicago
Naz Reid, LSU
Jalen Smith, Maryland
Dewan Hernandez, Miami
Nick Ward, Michigan State
Jontay Porter, Missouri
Bol Bol, Oregon
Tacko Fall, UCF
Moses Brown, UCLA
James Dickey, UNC Greensboro
Charles Bassey, Western Kentucky
Nathan Knight, William & Mary
Ethan Happ, Wisconsin
Candidates can play their way onto and off of the list at any point during the season