Kansas Jayhawks Ochai Agbaji is one of four finalists for the 2022 Naismith Trophy
Kansas senior guard Ochai Agbaji has been named one of four finalists for the Naismith Trophy men’s college basketball player of the Year award, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Tuesday.
Agbaji, 6-foot-5 from Kansas City, is attempting to become the third KU player to win the Naismith Trophy. Danny Manning (1988) and Frank Mason III (2017) are past winners.
Other finalists: Johnny Davis (Wisconsin), Keegan Murray (Iowa) and Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky). Agbaji is the lone finalist still playing in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
Agbaji is consensus first team All-America after being so honored by the NABC, Associated Press, The Sporting News and USBWA. He is KU’s 31st all-time consensus All-America first team pick, which is more than any other school. He is the first Jayhawk to earn that honor since Devonte’ Graham in 2018.
Agbaji also is on the 2022 Wooden Award final ballot. He is Big 12 player of the year and the Big 12 tournament most outstanding player.
The Oak Park High graduate leads the Big 12 in scoring at 19.3 points per game and is second in the league in three-point field-goal percentage (40.0%, 34th nationally) and in three-point field goals made per game (2.7, 53rd nationally). He is 16th on the KU career scoring list (1,596 points).
The four finalists were chosen by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s national voting academy. The Naismith Trophy winner will be announced on Sunday, April 3, at the Naismith Awards brunch in New Orleans.
KU (30-6) will meet Providence (27-5) at 6:29 p.m. Friday in a Sweet 16 game at the United Center in Chicago.
