UConn forward Andre Jackson Jr. named to Naismith Defensive Player of the Year watch list
UConn men’s basketball co-captain Andre Jackson Jr. was named on the watch list for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award that was released Thursday by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
Jackson, a junior forward, was one of 15 players named to the list. Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner was the only other Big East player to be included.
A fan favorite for his exceptional athleticism and highlight-reel plays while being able to guard several positions on the court, the team’s vocal leader is averaging 1.3 steals and 0.6 blocks per game to go along with his six points, six rebounds and 4.4 assists. Despite a rough shooting night in UConn’s tight loss to Xavier on Wednesday, Jackson was at the top of the 1-3-1 zone defense and leading the press that sparked a thrilling second-half comeback.
Currently in its sixth year, previous winners of the defensive award include Walker Kessler (Auburn), Jevon Carter (West Virginia), Matisse Thybulle (Washington), Marcus Garrett (Kansas) and Davion Mitchell (Baylor). This year’s winner will be announced on April 2.
The full watch list:
Chase Audige, Sr., G, Northwestern
Leaky Black, Gr., F, North Carolina
Moussa Cisse, Jr., F, Oklahoma State
Jaylen Clark, Jr., G, UCLA
Zach Edey, Jr., C, Purdue
Andre Jackson Jr., Jr., G, UConn
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Sr., F, Indiana
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Jr., C, Creighton
Caleb McConnell, fifth year, G, Rutgers
Kevin McCullar Jr., Sr., G, Kansas
Shakeel Moore, Jr., G, Mississippi State
Marcus Sasser, Sr., G, Houston
Jamarion Sharp, Jr., C, Western Kentucky
Oscar Tshiebwe, Sr., F, Kentucky
Zakai Zeigler, So., G, Tennessee
