Photo by: SMC Athletics / Piper Westrom
MBB | Saxen Named to Preseason Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Watch List
11/1/2024 10:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — As just announced by the Basketball Hall of Fame, Mitchell Saxen has been named to the Preseason Top-20 Watchlist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year. The world may never again see an athlete dominate basketball for as long and as thoroughly as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Named for three time NCAA National Champion and 1st Team All-American, this prestigious award has been given since 2015,This prestigious award honors the best centers in men's college basketball and is presented by the Basketball Hall of Fame, highlighting the elite talent in the sport. and has been won by NBA first round draft picks Frank Kaminsky, Jakob Poeltl and Zach Edey.
Saxen is coming off of back-to-back All-WCC nods. Returning for his fifth season, the big man from Seattle is coming off of his best season. Saxen averaged 12 points and 8 rebounds per contest, and helped lead the Gaels to the WCC Regular Season and Tournament Titles. He was named Defensive Player of the Year in the conference after leading the WCC with 43 blocks to go along with 134 defensive rebounds. He recorded seven double-doubles on the year, including a 23 point, 16 rebounds outpouring against UNLV (a game in which he also hit the game winning layup in double overtime) and a 19 point, 15 rebound onslaught against Gonzaga in the WCC Tournament Title match. Saxen's 3.7 offensive rebounds per contest ranked 13th in the country last year.
The complete watch list can be seen below:
Clifford Omoruyi, Alabama
Motiejus Krivas, Arizona
Jayden Quaintance, Arizona State
Jonas Aidoo, Arkansas
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
Khaman Maluach, Duke
Oumar Ballo, Indiana
Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
Amari Williams, Kentucky
Derik Queen, Maryland
Vladislav Goldon, Michigan
Dawson Garcia, Minnesota
Malik Dia, Ole Miss
Robbie Avila, Saint Louis
Mitchell Saxen, Saint Mary's
Maxime Raynaud, Stanford
Eddie Lampkin, Syracuse
William Kyle III, UCLA
Samson Johnson, UConn
Efton Reid II, Wake Forest
In February, the list will be cut down to 10, and a month later, down to five. The winner will be announced during the final four.
DON'T MISS OUT ON HOME MEN'S BASKETBALL ACTION. TICKETS ARE ON SALE HERE.
#GaelsRise
Saxen is coming off of back-to-back All-WCC nods. Returning for his fifth season, the big man from Seattle is coming off of his best season. Saxen averaged 12 points and 8 rebounds per contest, and helped lead the Gaels to the WCC Regular Season and Tournament Titles. He was named Defensive Player of the Year in the conference after leading the WCC with 43 blocks to go along with 134 defensive rebounds. He recorded seven double-doubles on the year, including a 23 point, 16 rebounds outpouring against UNLV (a game in which he also hit the game winning layup in double overtime) and a 19 point, 15 rebound onslaught against Gonzaga in the WCC Tournament Title match. Saxen's 3.7 offensive rebounds per contest ranked 13th in the country last year.
The complete watch list can be seen below:
Clifford Omoruyi, Alabama
Motiejus Krivas, Arizona
Jayden Quaintance, Arizona State
Jonas Aidoo, Arkansas
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
Khaman Maluach, Duke
Oumar Ballo, Indiana
Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
Amari Williams, Kentucky
Derik Queen, Maryland
Vladislav Goldon, Michigan
Dawson Garcia, Minnesota
Malik Dia, Ole Miss
Robbie Avila, Saint Louis
Mitchell Saxen, Saint Mary's
Maxime Raynaud, Stanford
Eddie Lampkin, Syracuse
William Kyle III, UCLA
Samson Johnson, UConn
Efton Reid II, Wake Forest
In February, the list will be cut down to 10, and a month later, down to five. The winner will be announced during the final four.
DON'T MISS OUT ON HOME MEN'S BASKETBALL ACTION. TICKETS ARE ON SALE HERE.
#GaelsRise
Players Mentioned
C
/ Men's BasketballMBB | Media Day Live Show
Friday, October 24
MBB | Highlights at Arizona (EXHIB), 10-18-25
Saturday, October 18
MBB | SMC vs. Vanderbilt NCAA First Round Postgame Interview
Saturday, March 22
MBB | SMC vs. Gonzaga 2025 WCC Finals Postgame Interview
Wednesday, March 12
