ATLANTA – WKU Hilltopper Basketball senior center Jamarion Sharp was named to the 2023 Naismith Men's Defensive Player of the Year Watch List, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Thursday.
Sharp is one of just four players from outside the Power Five on the watch list for the award, given annually to the nations' top defensive men's player. He is one of four players to be named to the list in both 2022 and 2023, joining Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky), Kevin McCullar (Texas Tech/Kansas) and Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana). The full 15-man list can be found below.
As of Wednesday, the 7-5 Hopkinsville, Ky., native lead the nation in blocked shots per game (4.3) and total blocks (81).
The center's average of 4.3 blocks per game is more than what 83% of Division I teams are averaging. His 81 total blocks are more than what 75% of Division I programs have logged as a team.
Sharp has started and played in 19 of WKU's 20 contests this season. He's shooting 59.8% from the field while averaging 7.1 rebounds and 6.6 points per game.
This is the second consecutive season Sharp has been named to the Naismith DPOY Watch List. He joins former All-American Charles Bassey as the only Hilltopper to ever be named to the watch list or semi-finalist list as Sharp was also a semi-finalist in 2022.
Naismith Men's Defensive Player of the Year 2023 Watch List
Chase Audige, Northwestern
Leaky Black, North Carolina
Mousa Cisse, Oklahoma State
Jaylen Clark, UCLA
Zach Edey, Purdue
Andre Jackson Jr., UConn
Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
Caleb McConnell, Rutgers
Kevin McCullar Jr., Kansas
Shakeel Moore, Mississippi State
Marcus Sasser, Houston
Jamarion Sharp, WKU
Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky
Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee
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