Obi Toppin of Dayton wins Citizen Naismith Trophy; KU’s Azubuike was a finalist
Dayton power forward Obi Toppin is the winner of the 2020 Citizen Naismith Trophy, which goes to the best player in men’s college basketball, it was announced Friday on CBS Sports HQ.
Kansas senior center Udoka Azubuike was one of five finalists for the award. The others: Luka Garza, Iowa; Payton Pritchard. Oregon; and Myles Powell, Seton Hall.
KU’s Frank Mason won the award in 2017.
The winner of the women’s Naismith player of the year award is Sabrina Ionescu of Oregon.
Toppin averaged 20 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 blocks per game this season. The 6-foot-9 forward made 63.3% of his shot attempts.
Azubuike averaged 13.7 points and 10.5 rebounds a game for 28-3 KU. He led Division I in field-goal percentage at 74.8% and blocked 2.6 shots per game.
