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.
Players Mentioned
- F
- 6' 8"
- Redshirt Sophomore
- F
- 6' 7"
- Freshman
Players Mentioned
- 6' 8"
- Redshirt Sophomore
- F
- 6' 7"
- Freshman
- F
Latest Men's Basketball
- McNeeley and Karaban Earn BIG EAST Weekly HonorsNEW YORK – The UConn men's basketball duo of Liam McNeeley and Alex Karaban have both been honored by the BIG EAST this week, the league announced on Monday (Dec. 9). McNeeley has been named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week for the second time, while Karaban notched his second weekly honor roll of the year and the 11th of the junior's career.
- Karaban Leads No. 25 UConn To Road Win At TexasAUSTIN, Texas – Alex Karaban returned with a bang to lead the No. 25 UConn men's basketball team (7-3) to a 73-62 win at Texas (7-2) on Sunday at the Moody Center. In a game in which he scored his 1,000th career point Karaban posted his first career double-double and went for 21 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals after missing UConn's last two games.
- No. 25 Huskies Set For Road Test At Texas, SundayAUSTIN, Texas - Fresh off its first marquee win of the campaign, the No. 25 UConn men's basketball team (6-3) continues its December gauntlet when it visits Texas (7-1) on Sunday afternoon. Tip-off for UConn's first true road test of the season is set for 5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT on ESPN with Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas and Kris Budden on the call.
- #25 UConn Tops #15 Baylor In Battle at GampelSTORRS – The No. 25 UConn men's basketball team (6-3) picked up its biggest win of the young season, topping No. 15 Baylor (5-3) by a score of 76-72 in the BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle on Wednesday night in front of a capacity crowd of 10,299 at Gampel Pavilion. Liam McNeeley led the Huskies with 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocks, helping Connecticut rally from a double-digit first half deficit to take the back-and-forth affair.
- UConn Hosts Baylor For Top-25 Battle ShowdownSTORRS - The No. 25 UConn men's basketball team (5-3) is set for a marquee non-conference showdown on Wednesday night when it plays host to No. 15 Baylor (5-2) at Gampel Pavilion in the BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle. The contest will tip at 6:30 p.m. on FS1 with Brandon Gaudin and Bill Raftery on the call.
- Huskies Cruise Past UMES On Saturday NightHARTFORD – The No. 2 UConn men's basketball team (5-3)had no problem getting back on track in its return home, knocking off UMES (2-9) by a score of 99-45 on Saturday in front of an announced sell-out crowd of 15,684. Liam McNeeley and Jaylin Stewart led six Huskies in double-figures with 16 points apiece in the rout, while Tarris Reed Jr. and Jayden Ross both notched double-doubles.
