Kentucky’s Nerlens Noel (3) defends on a shot by Mississippi’s Reginald Buckner during an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013, in Oxford, Miss. (AP Photo/Oxford Eagle, Bruce Newman)
Kentucky freshman Nerlens Noel is among 12 players announced by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) as a midseason candidate for the Wayman Tisdale Award, honoring the nation’s top freshman for the 2012-13 college basketball season on Thursday.
Noel leads the nation in blocks per game at 4.8. He ranks 14th in the country in steals (2.4) and 33rd in rebounding (9.3), leading the Wildcats in all three categories. The 6-10 freshman is also averaging 10.2 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.
Others named to the list are Jordan Adams, UCLA; Kyle Anderson, UCLA; Isaiah Austin, Baylor; Anthony Bennett, UNLV; Jahii Carson, Arizona State; Yogi Ferrell, Indiana; Ben McLemore, Kansas; Shabazz Muhammad, UCLA; Glenn Robinson III, Michigan; Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State; Nik Stauskas, Michigan.
Last season, Anthony Davis became the first Wildcat to win the USBWA’s Freshman of the Year award.
5 Responses to Nerlens Noel among 12 named midseason candidate as top freshman in nation
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Nerlens has wedged that door open and said don’t forget about me!
Indeed he has Grant
Doesn’t surprise me one bit, he does a good job on both ends of the court.
He’s done an OUTSTANDING job all season, learning & growing each game. Anthony Davis was the best, but if Nerlens had Kidd-Gilcrest, Terrance Jones & Darius Miller supporting him from both wings . . . well, his numbers would be even better.
But Wiltjer and Poythress are coming on and no question that Cauley-Stein can make a huge difference once he comes back and is 100%.
In no certain order the top shot blockers I can recall in my 53 years are Noel, Alcindor, and Davis, maybe throw in Shaq.