Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ named to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award watchlist

Wisconsin redshirt sophomore Ethan Happ was named to the watchlist for the 2017 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Friday. Happ is one of 20 total candidates from across the college basketball landscape.

Happ made his Wisconsin debut last season, as he became just the second Big Ten freshman in over 20 years to average at least 11.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.5 blocks per game. He ended the season by being named the consensus Big Ten Freshman of the Year.

The list of 20 candidates for the award will be narrowed to 10 by mid-February. From that group, five finalists will be selected in March and the winner will be announced at an awards ceremony on April 7, 2017. Former Badger and current Charlotte Hornets center Frank Kaminsky won the award in 2015, the first year it was given out.

Here are the 20 candidates for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award:

Moses Kingsley, Arkansas

Eric Mika, Brigham Young University

Justin Patton, Creighton

Marques Bolden, Duke

Zena Edosomwan, Harvard

Thomas Bryant, Indiana

Bam Adebayo, Kentucky

Tim Kempton, Lehigh

Omer Yurtseven, North Carolina St.

Chris Boucher, Oregon

Isaac Haas, Purdue

Paschal Chukwu, Syracuse

Jarrett Allen, Texas

Tyler Davis, Texas A&M

Thomas Welsh, University of California, Los Angeles

Kennedy Meeks, North Carolina

Luke Kornet, Vanderbilt

Mo Alie-Cox, Virginia Commonwealth University

Josh Hawkinson, Washington St.

Ethan Happ, Wisconsin