WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (Purdue Sports) — Purdue men's basketball senior Isaac Haas was 1-of-20 players named to the watch list for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today.
By mid-February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2018 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award will be narrowed down to just 10. In March, five finalists will be presented to Mr. Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2018 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be presented at the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show presented by Wendy’s in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 6, 2018. Broadcast information will be released at a later date.
This marks the fourth year for the award, won by Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky in 2015, Utah’s Jakob Poltl in 2016 and Gonzaga’s Przemek Karnowski in 2017.
Haas, a 7-foot, 2-inch center from Hokes Bluff, Alabama, averaged 12.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game whie shooting 58.7 percent from the field and 71.1 percent from the free throw line. He led the Big Ten in points / 40 minutes (25.9) for the second straight year and is the only active player in America to have scored 1,000 points (1,041) in under 1,800 career minutes (1,678).
He ranks sixth on Purdue’s career field goal percentage list (.576).
Haas and Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ are the Big Ten representatives on the watch list. Haas was also on the initial watch list a year ago.
The first chance to see the Boilermakers in action is at Purdue's annual fan day Saturday, Oct. 21, in Mackey Arena. Fans can receive autographs and get pictures with their favorite Boilermakers beginning at 10:45 a.m. ET, and then are invited to stay and watch Purdue's first intrasquad scrimmage of the season.
Purdue is the defending Big Ten champion, posting a 27-8 record a year ago while advancing to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. This year's squad returns six of its top seven scorers, including four seniors that have been a part of 74 wins over the last three years while boasting the best home record in the Big Ten during that span.
Mini plans and single-game tickets are now on sale to the general public. For more information and to purchase tickets, please contact the Purdue Athletics Ticket Office at 765.494.3194 or toll-free at 800.497.7678. Fans can also order online at PurdueSports.com.
