SPOKANE, Wash. – Gonzaga's
Killian Tillie was named to the Citizen Naismith Trophy Men's College Player of the Year Preseason Watch List, the Atlanta Tipoff Club released Monday.
Tillie was named to the preseason list for the second straight season. He was a preseason All-West Coast Conference selection before missing 22 games with injuries last season. In 15 appearances, he averaged 6.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. The Cagnes-sur-Mer, France native, made 10 blocks and had 10 steals in 2018-19. He made 50 percent of his shots from the field, including 43.8 percent (14-of-32) from three-point range. Tillie was tabbed Second Team All-WCC following the 2017-18 season. He averaged 12.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game in his sophomore season.
Overall, the SEC tops the list with nine players represented, while the Big Ten and ACC are close runners-up with eight and seven candidates on the watch list, respectively. Seven schools lead the watch list with two players apiece, including Duke, which has won more Citizen Naismith Trophies (8) than any other school with the addition of last year's winner, Zion Williamson.
Additional schools with two players represented include Davidson, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland and Michigan State. The 2019 Jersey Mike's Naismith High School Player of the Year award winner, Isaiah Stewart, now a freshman at the University of Washington, also made this year's college watch list. Players who do not make the watch list are still eligible to be selected for the midseason 30 team.
Gonzaga opens the regular season at home against Alabama State Tuesday at 5 p.m.
Naismith Trophy Men's College Player of the Year Preseason Watch List
| NAME |
CLASS |
POSITION |
SCHOOL |
CONFERENCE |
| Bryce Aiken |
Sr. |
G |
Harvard |
IVY |
| Cole Anthony |
Fr. |
G |
North Carolina |
ACC |
| Udoka Azubuike |
Sr. |
C |
Kansas |
Big 12 |
| Kamar Baldwin |
Sr. |
G |
Butler |
BIG EAST |
| Charles Bassey |
So. |
C |
Western Kentucky |
C-USA |
| Kerry Blackshear Jr. |
Sr. |
F |
Florida |
SEC |
| Vernon Carey Jr. |
Fr. |
C |
Duke |
ACC |
| Yoeli Childs |
Sr. |
F |
BYU |
WCC |
| Tristan Clark |
Jr. |
F |
Baylor |
Big 12 |
| Anthony Cowan Jr. |
Sr. |
G |
Maryland |
Big Ten |
| Jarron Cumberland |
Sr. |
G |
Cincinnati |
AAC |
| Mamadi Diakite |
Sr. |
F |
Virginia |
ACC |
| Alpha Diallo |
Sr. |
G |
Providence |
BIG EAST |
| Ayo Dosunmu |
So. |
G |
Illinois |
Big Ten |
| Devon Dotson |
So. |
G |
Kansas |
Big 12 |
| Anthony Edwards |
Fr. |
G |
Georgia |
SEC |
| Jordan Ford |
Sr. |
G |
St. Mary's |
WCC |
| Kellan Grady |
Jr. |
G |
Davidson |
A-10 |
| Jon Axel Gudmundsson |
Sr. |
G |
Davidson |
A-10 |
| Ashton Hagans |
So. |
G |
Kentucky |
SEC |
| Tyrese Haliburton |
So. |
G |
Iowa State |
Big 12 |
| Markus Howard |
Sr. |
G |
Marquette |
BIG EAST |
| Markell Johnson |
Sr. |
G |
NC State |
ACC |
| Tre Jones |
So. |
G |
Duke |
ACC |
| Anthony Lamb |
Sr. |
F |
Vermont |
America East |
| Kira Lewis Jr. |
So. |
G |
Alabama |
SEC |
| Nico Mannion |
Fr. |
G |
Arizona |
Pac-12 |
| Naji Marshall |
Jr. |
F |
Xavier |
BIG EAST |
| Tyrese Maxey |
Fr. |
G |
Kentucky |
SEC |
| Skylar Mays |
Sr. |
G |
LSU |
SEC |
| Sam Merrill |
Sr. |
G |
Utah State |
Mountain West |
| John Mooney |
Sr. |
F |
Notre Dame |
ACC |
| Andrew Nembhard |
So. |
G |
Florida |
SEC |
| Jordan Nwora |
Jr. |
F |
Louisville |
ACC |
| Reggie Perry |
So. |
F |
Mississippi State |
SEC |
| Myles Powell |
Sr. |
G |
Seton Hall |
BIG EAST |
| Payton Pritchard |
Sr. |
G |
Oregon |
Pac-12 |
| Zavier Simpson |
Sr. |
G |
Michigan |
Big Ten |
| Jalen Smith |
So. |
F |
Maryland |
Big Ten |
| Lamar Stevens |
Sr. |
F |
Penn State |
Big Ten |
| Isaiah Stewart |
Fr. |
F |
Washington |
Pac-12 |
| Killian Tillie |
Sr. |
F |
Gonzaga |
WCC |
| Xavier Tillman |
Jr. |
F |
Michigan State |
Big Ten |
| Tres Tinkle |
Sr. |
F |
Oregon State |
Pac-12 |
| Obi Toppin |
So. |
F |
Dayton |
A-10 |
| Breein Tyree |
Sr. |
G |
Ole Miss |
SEC |
| Kaleb Wesson |
Jr. |
F |
Ohio State |
Big Ten |
| Cassius Winston |
Sr. |
G |
Michigan State |
Big Ten |
| James Wiseman |
Fr. |
C |
Memphis |
AAC |
| McKinley Wright IV |
Jr. |
G |
Colorado |
Pac-12 |
