ATLANTA – The UConn men's basketball duo of Alex Karaban and Liam McNeeley have been named to the Jersey Mikes Naismith Trophy Men's Player of the Year Watch List, as announced by the Atlanta Tip-Off Club. The Naismith Award is presented nationally to the top player in the sport.

Karaban earns a spot on the Watch List as a two-year returning starter and back-to-back national champion. He set career-highs last season with 13.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game while shooting 49.5 percent from the floor. He scored 20 or more on a team-high eight instances. With his career trends and steady improvement, Karaban is a threat to post the coveted 50/40/90 shooting line this season as he takes on an even greater role on the 2024-25 Huskies.

McNeeley's laurel comes to one of the most highly-touted freshmen in the country. The 6-7 sharpshooter was a McDonald's All-American and national champion at powerhouse Montverde Academy before matriculating to Storrs. He was named BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year and enters the year as a consensus five-star prospect.

UConn is one of eight programs nationally with multiple members of the Watch List, joining Alabama, Baylor, Duke, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas and Rutgers. The Huskies have never had a recipient of the Naismith Men's Player of the Year Award, but Dan Hurley became the first men's coach at UConn to take home Naismith College Coach of the Year honors last season.