Iowa’s Luka Garza wins Naismith Trophy

Iowa's Luka Garza was named the winner of the men's Naismith Trophy on Saturday for the National College Player of the Year.

Garza is the first Hawkeye to receive the honor since it debuted in 1969. The finalists were selected by the Atlanta Tipoff Club's national voting academy, comprised of journalists, current and former head coaches, former award-winners and conference commissioners.

Garza averaged 24.1 points and 8.7 rebounds for the 22-9 Hawkeyes. He made 55.3 percent of his field goal attempts and 44 percent of his 3-point tries, and had 50 blocked shots.

Past winners of the award include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and Tim Duncan.

'For me, it's a team award,” Garza said Saturday in Indianapolis.

'I hope I've given half as much back to the University of Iowa as it has given me.”

Garza is the seventh Big Ten player to get the honor, and first since Wisconsin's Frank Kaminsky in 2015. He had already been tabbed Associated Press' Player of the Year and winner of every other national player of the year honor announced so far this year.

Later in the day, Garza was the repeat recipient of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Garza is the first player to win that award multiple times.

The John R. Wooden Award, will be announced Tuesday. Garza is a finalist, along with Illinois' Ayo Dosunmu, Gonzaga's Corey Kispert, Baylor's Jared Butler and Oklahoma State's Cade Cunningham.

If Garza wins the Wooden Award, he will be the consensus Player of the Year.

The winner of the women's Naismith Trophy was Connecticut freshman Paige Bueckers.

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