KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The NABC announced its top Division I award winners on Tuesday, headlined by Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd earning NABC Division I Coach of the Year honors. The awards were voted on by NABC-member coaches across NCAA Division I.
Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe was selected as both the NABC Division I Player of the Year and the NABC Pete Newell Big Man of the Year. Auburn’s Jabari Smith was voted as the NABC Freshman of the Year presented by adidas, and teammate Walker Kessler was named the NABC Defensive Player of the Year presented by Marriott Bonvoy.
Lloyd, in his first year at the helm of the Arizona program, led the Wildcats to a 33-4 overall record and a 18-2 Pac-12 mark. Arizona won both the Pac-12 regular season and conference tournament titles, and reached the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 after earning a No. 1 seed. The Wildcats’ 33 wins marked a 16-game improvement from the 2020-21 season.
Tshiebwe averaged 17.4 points and a Division I-leading 15.1 rebounds this season, and finished with a Kentucky-record 28 double-doubles. The NABC First Team All-American totaled at least 10 rebounds in all but two of UK’s games while shooting 60.6 percent overall from the field and averaging 1.8 steals and 1.6 blocks.
Smith, a NABC All-America Second Team selection, averaged 16.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in his first season at Auburn. The 6-10 forward had 14 games of 20 or more points.
Kessler finished the season averaging 11.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, and his 155 blocks are the most in Division I.
Together, Smith and Kessler led Auburn to the SEC regular season title and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
NABC Division I Coach of the Year – Tommy Lloyd, Arizona
NABC Division I Player of the Year – Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky
NABC Pete Newell Big Man of the Year – Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky
NABC Freshman of the Year presented by adidas – Jabari Smith, Auburn
NABC Defensive Player of the Year presented by Marriott Bonvoy – Walker Kessler, Auburn
