FAIRBORN — Wright State University redshirt senior Loudon Love was named to the watch list for the 2021 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award.
The award annually honors the top center in men’s college basketball, with the 20-player watch list announced by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
A two-time member of the Lou Henson All-America Team honoring the nation’s best mid-major players, Love was also named the Horizon League’s Player of the Year last March in addition to being a two-time All-Horizon first team selection and beginning his collegiate career as the league’s Freshman of the Year following the 2017-18 season.
Love, who last week was named the Horizon League’s Preseason Player of the Year, finished last year averaging just shy of a double-double for the season at 15.9 points per game and 9.7 rebounds per contest, with his 3.85 offensive rebounds per game average finishing 10th in the country. His 9.7 rebounds per game game average was No. 38 nationally and his 261 total rebounds were 86th. Love recorded 21 double-digit scoring performances in 27 games played in 2019-20, including 17 in Horizon League play. He tallied 11 double-doubles last season, eight of which came in league play.
Love begins the 2020-21 season with 881 total rebounds in three seasons, just 26 rebounds shy of becoming program’s all-time leading rebounder and surpassing Bill Edwards’ 907 total boards. Offensively, Love is one of 33 members of Wright State’s 1,000 Point Club, joining the list last season. Love has 1,393 career points, the 15th-most in Raider history.
Raider fans are encouraged to participate in voting in each of the three rounds at www.hoophallawards.com. In late January, the watch list of 20 players will be narrowed down to 10 and in late February, five finalists will be presented to Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee.
The winner of the 2021 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be presented in April 2021.
Others on the watch list are Matt Haarms (BYU); Mark Williams (Duke); Kofi Cockburn (Illinois); Luka Garza (Iowa); Olivier Sarr (Kentucky); Ahsan Asadullah (Lipscomb); Cameron Krutwig (Loyola Chicago); Mousa Cisse (Memphis); Liam Robbins (Minnesota); Armando Bacot (North Carolina); Walker Kessler (North Carolina); Trevion Williams (Purdue); Grant Golden (Richmond); Evan Mobley (USC); Neemias Queta (Utah State); Jay Huff (Virginia); Derek Culver (West Virginia); Charles Bassey (Western Kentucky); and Micah Potter (Wisconsin).
