USC Men's Basketball's Isaiah Mobley Named To Karl Malone Watch List
USC junior forward Isaiah Mobley was named to the 20-man watch list for the 2021-22 Karl Malone Power Forward Of The Year Award, it was announced by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame today (Oct. 21). The award, in its eighth year, is named after NBA Hall of Famer Karl Malone and honors the top power forwards in Division I basketball, as determined by a national committee of top college basketball personnel.
"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."
Mobley averaged 9.9 points and 7.3 rebounds in 32 stats for the Trojans during the 2020-21 season and was a key member of USC's run to the NCAA Elite Eight. In USC's four NCAA Tournament games, the power forward averaged 16.0 points and 5.3 rebounds, while making 61.0 percent of his shots (25-for-41). Including USC's two Pac-12 Tournament games, Mobley made 66.7 percent of his shots from three-point range (10-for-15) during the Trojans' six postseason games. Mobley was third on the Trojan team in scoring and second in rebounding during the 2020-21 season. Mobley's 233 rebounds ranked third in the Pac-12 and his six double-doubles were tied for third among conference players. Mobley had 21 games with at least six rebounds and 10 games with double figures in rebounds.
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 and the latest updates, log onto www.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #MaloneAward on Twitter and Instagram. Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on Friday, October 22.