SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Gonzaga's Drew Timme was named the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Saturday.
 
Named after Class of 2010 Hall of Famer and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Karl Malone, the annual honor in its seventh year recognizes the top power forwards in Division I men's college basketball.
 
The five finalists for the 2021 Karl Malone Award were Timme, Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana), Justin Champagnie (Pittsburg), Sandro Mamukelashvili (Seton Hall) and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (Villanova).
 
Timme was named Second Team All-American by the Associated Press, NABC and USBWA. Timme was also a First Team All-West Coast Conference selection, and was recently named the NCAA Tournament West Regional Most Outstanding Player. He is first in the conference in scoring at 19.3 points per game, at a league-leading 65.0 percent from the field, which is fourth in the country. He is third in the WCC making 67.2 percent from inside-the-arc. His 7.17 rebounds per game is also third in the conference. He has started all 30 games for GU, scoring in double digits 29 times. Timme also has a team-high 14 20-point games this season, including a career-high 30 versus Oklahoma in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
Gonzaga becomes the third program in the seven-year history of the Naismith Starting Five Awards to have two players named as winners in the same season. In 2019, Duke's RJ Barrett and Zion Williamson were both winners, as was Villanova's Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges in 2018.
 
Previous winners of the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award include Obi Toppin, Dayton (2020), Zion Williamson, Duke (2019), Deandre Ayton, Arizona (2018), Johnathan Motley, Baylor (2017), Georges Niang, Iowa State (2016) and Montrezl Harrell, Louisville (2015).