Ohio State big man Kaleb Wesson is still in the running for another national basketball award. The 6-9 power forward is one of thirty men still alive for the Citizen Naismith Trophy that goes to the Men’s Player of the Year. It is widely considered the most prestigious national honor for men’s basketball, and has been handed out annually since 1969 by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
The list announced Thursday consists of thirty players that are part of the Naismith Midseason Team. Just last week, it was announced that Wesson was a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award as well.
Wesson has shown growth in his game this year. Not only does he lead the Buckeyes in scoring (14.1) and rebounding (9.4) per game, but he’s shown better conditioning, and has expanded his game to include a much more dangerous outside game — shooting over 40% from beyond the arc. Maybe most importantly, he has been much more disciplined with foul-trouble.
The trophy itself will not be handed out until the Final Four in April. But until then, congrats to Wesson for a pretty big honor.
