ATLANTA – Auburn sophomore forward/center Walker Kessler (Newnan, Ga.) was one of 15 players named to the Naismith Men's Defensive Player of the Year Watch List by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Thursday.
Kessler, a two-time SEC Player of the Week selection, is currently averaging 10.9 points and a team-leading 7.6 rebounds per game for the No. 1-ranked Tigers. He also has turned in seven double-double performances and currently ranks No. 2 nationally in blocked shots per game (4.1).
The 7-foot-1 big man recorded only the second-ever triple double in program history with 16 points, 10 rebounds and career-high 11 blocks versus LSU on Dec. 29 – one of only 13 players in the country to do so this season.
