SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today the 20 watch list members for the 2022-23 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Preseason Watch List. Among the 20 candidates was Clemson University men’s basketball junior PJ Hall (Spartanburg, S.C./Dorman).
Named after Class of 1995 Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the annual honor in its eighth year recognizes the top centers in men’s college basketball.
Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will open up on Friday, October 28 at 1:00 PM ET so your fans can vote for their favorite players in each of the three rounds. Please help promote the fan voting to your fan base through your social media channels. The top 10 player selections from the fan vote will get an additional vote towards making the next round.
This list will be narrowed down to 10 in late January and then 5 finalists will be selected in late February that will be presented to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the selection committee. The winner of this award will be presented on a to be determined date. Presentation details will be announced at a later date.
2023 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Candidates*
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2022-2023 season*
Hall was named to the All-ACC preseason second team along with Jayden Gardner (Virginia), Dereck Lively II (Duke), Justyn Mutts (Virginia Tech) and RJ Davis (North Carolina). Hall also received two votes for Preseason Player of the Year.
The Tiger center is coming off a career year in which he played through a foot injury for most of the season. Hall averaged a team-and-career-best 15.5 points per game (including 16.0 per game in ACC play), while also tallying 5.8 rebounds per contest. He finished with a team-leading 464 points, 38 blocks, shot 49.3 percent from the floor and totaled three double-doubles, while nearly earning the ACC’s Most Improved Player award.
He scored a career-high 28 points at Florida State last season, eclipsing the 20-point mark six times and scoring in double digits in 28 of his 30 games played. Showing off his defensive prowess to go along with an elite offensive game, Hall totaled 11 games in which he blocked multiple shots. He tallied a career-high four against NC State twice and North Carolina once.
The Spartanburg native finished as the highest scoring Tiger post player since Trevor Booker (2009-10). His 15.5 points per game average was the most by a Clemson center since 1990-91 when Dale Davis averaged 17.9.
Season tickets are still available now by calling 1-800-CLEMSON or by visiting ClemsonTigers.com.
