SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Stanford senior Michael Humphrey is on the preseason watch list for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, recognizing the nation's top center.
The award, presented by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in honor of Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, announced its 20-member preseason watch list on Friday.
Humphrey's frontcourt teammate, Reid Travis, was named to the preseason watch list for the Karl Malone Award, honoring the nation's top power forward, on Thursday.
Humphrey, who started 25 games last season, ranked fifth in the Pac-12 in offensive rebounding (2.8 orpg) during conference play and 13th in the league in overall rebounding (7.4 rpg) during the conference slate. He averaged 9.4 points and 6.2 rebounds overall last season. The center posted a career-best 27 points and 14 rebounds in 34 minutes of action at UCLA last January.
The senior was one of three members of the Cardinal, along with Travis and Dorian Pickens, to be honored with the Peter Sauer Captainship for the 2017-18 season.
By mid-February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2018 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be narrowed to 10. In March, five finalists will be presented to Mr. Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. The winner of the 2018 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be presented at the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show presented by Wendy's in Los Angeles on Friday, April 6, 2018.
For more information on the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, log on to www.HoophallAwards.com.
Humphrey and Stanford begin the 2017-18 season Nov. 10 against Cal Poly at Maples Pavilion. The game will be at 4 p.m. PT and serve as the first contest in a men's basketball-football doubleheader on The Farm. The Cardinal football team will host Washington at 7:30 p.m. PT at Stanford Stadium.