Ohio State Junior Forward E.J. Liddell Named To Karl Malone Award Watch List

Liddell is looking to become the first player in school history to win the award, which is given annually to the nation's top power forward.

Author:
Andrew Lind
Feb 3, 2022 2:33 PM EST

Ohio State junior E.J. Liddell was named on Thursday afternoon as one of 10 watch list players for the Karl Malone Award, which is given annually to the top power forward in men’s college basketball.

A former four-star prospect from Belleville, Ill., Liddell is averaging 19.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.7 blocks in 18 games for the Buckeyes this season. Only two players in the last 26 years have averaged those numbers over a full season, including former Wake Forest forward Tim Duncan in 1996-97 and former Rider forward Jason Thompson in 2007-08.

Liddell recently became the 60th player in school history to reach 1,000 points for his career and is looking to become the first Ohio State player to win the award, which is named after 14-time NBA All-Star Karl Malone. It was first presented by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame during the 2014-15 season.

Other members of this year’s watch list include Arizona’s Azuolas Tubelis, Auburn’s Jabari Smith, Colorado State’s David Roddy, Duke’s Paolo Banchero, Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren, Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis, Iowa’s Keegan Murray, LSU’s Tari Eason and USC’s Isaiah Mobley.

The watch list will be narrowed to five finalists in late February, at which time Malone and the Hall of Fame selection committee will choose the winner, who will be announced on a to-be-determined date along with the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five.

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