BATON ROUGE – LSU senior forward Darius Days has been named by The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Thursday to the 20 watch list members for the 2022 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award.
Named after Class of 2010 Hall of Famer and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Karl Malone, the annual honor in its eighth year recognizes the top power forwards in Division I men’s college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
“The Basketball Hall of Fame is proud to annually recognize the best student-athletes in the collegiate game with positional awards bearing the names of some of the greatest players of all time,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “To be named to the watchlist of the Naismith Starting Five is a great honor and I know our Hall of Famers sincerely enjoy the opportunity to watch these players compete. We thank Mr. Malone for his unwavering support over the years and the unique perspective he brings to ultimately selecting a winner.”
Karl Malone attended Louisiana Tech University due to its close proximity to his hometown of Summerfield, Louisiana. He led the Bulldogs to a Sweet 16 appearance and earned All-Southland honors in his three seasons while averaging 18.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Malone achieved great success during his 19 seasons in the NBA as a 14-time NBA All-Star (1988-98, 2000-02), 11-time All-NBA First Team player (1989-99) and a member of the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. He also won two Olympic gold medals (1992, 1996).
College basketball fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2022 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award will be narrowed to 10 and then in late February to just 5. In March the five finalists will be presented to Mr. Malone and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee where a winner will be selected.
Days averaged 11.6 points per game last season for the Tigers with 7.8 rebounds and just over one steal a game. He averaged 27 minutes a game and was the heart and soul of the Tigers as LSU was 19-1 when he scored in double figures last season.
In 94 career games, he has had 61 starts over three seasons, upping his points and rebound average each season at LSU. He shot over 50 percent last season, making 123-of-237 field goal attempts (51.9%) with 52 three-pointers. He had 20 games in double figures and 44 over three seasons with 16 career double doubles.
Previous winners of the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award include Drew Timme, Gonzaga (2021), Obi Toppin, Dayton (2020), Zion Williamson, Duke (2019), Deandre Ayton, Arizona (2018), Johnathan Motley, Baylor (2017), Georges Niang, Iowa State (2016) and Montrezl Harrell, Louisville (2015).
For more information on the 2022 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award. Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on Friday, October 22.
2022 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award Candidates*
Azoulas Tubelis/Arizona
Jabari Smith/Auburn
David Roddy/Colorado St.
Paolo Banchero/Duke
Drew Timme/Gonzaga
Trayce Jackson-Davis/Indiana
Kenneth Lofton Jr./Louisiana Tech
Eli Scott/Loyola Marymount
Darius Days/LSU
Donta Scott/Maryland
DeAndre Williams/Memphis
Dawson Garcia/North Carolina
E.J. Liddell/Ohio State
Quincy Guerrier/Oregon
Trevion Williams/Purdue
John Fulkerson/Tennessee
Tre Mitchell/Texas
Isaiah Mobley/USC
Jayden Gardner/Virginia
Keve Aluma/Virginia Tech
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2021-2022 season*