Utah center Jakob Poeltl's decision to come back to school is paying off, as he's having a great season, and has been nominated for multiple awards thus far. The most recent he can keep an eye out for is the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award. Poeltl will need to finish the year out strong to have a chance to win these awards.
First and foremost of Poeltl is his team success, as the Utes have a big game against Oregon on Sunday, after a heartbreaking loss to Oregon State Thursday night.
Here's the full release about his new award nomination:
SALT LAKE CITY - Utah sophomore forward Jakob Poeltl has been named one of 10 finalists for the 2016 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award early Friday morning. The award is presented by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame.
Poeltl currently leads the Utes in scoring with 17.4 points per game and rebounding with 8.9 boards per contest. The Vienna, Austria native is coming off his fourth-consecutive 20-point game following a 20-point and nine-rebound effort against Oregon State last night.
On the seaosn, Poeltl has tallied double-digit scoring efforts in 20 of 23 games, which includes eight games with 20 points or more, and has led the team in rebounding in all but five games on the year.
Named after Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the annual honor recognizes the top centers in men's college basketball. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel determined the 10 finalists. The winner will be recognized at the ESPN College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy's from Club Nokia in Los Angeles on Friday, April 8, 2016.
2016 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Finalists
• Jakob Poeltl, Utah
• Moses Kingsley, Arkansas
• Josh Scott, Colorado
• Egidijus Mockevicius, Evansville
• Domantas Sabonis, Gonzaga
• Zach Auguste, Notre Dame
• AJ Hammons, Purdue
• Ben Bentil, Providence
• Josh Hawkinson, Washington State
• Joel Bolomboy, Weber State