The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced on Thursday the watch list for the Karl Malone Award, which honors the top power forward in college basketball and two players with Palmetto State connections are on the list.
USC senior forward Chris Silva makes the list, one day after he was named to the Preseason All-SEC First Team by the media at the SEC Tipoff.
Silva is the Gamecocks top returning scorer and rebounder, after averaging 14.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game a season ago. He is coming off a season where he was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-SEC.
Also on the list is Duke freshman Zion Williamson who led Spartanburg Day to three consecutive SCISA 2A state championships.
The award is named after the Hall of Famer, who was a standout at Louisiana Tech, before a 19-year career in the NBA, which included 11 All-NBA First Team honors, and 14 All-Star seasons. The Malone Award is in its fifth season honoring the power forward of the year.
