University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Center
/ Men's Basketball
Robbins on Watch List for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award
11/6/2020 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota junior Liam Robbins was named to the preseason watch list for the 2020 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Friday. Robbins was one of 20 student-athletes, including one of five from the Big Ten, to be added to the watch list.
After spending his first two seasons at Drake, Robbins transferred to Minnesota in April and was granted immediate eligibility in September.
This past season, he averaged team highs of 14.1 points and 7.1 rebounds along with 2.9 blocks per game, starting all 34 games for Drake and earning All-Missouri Valley Conference Second Team, All-Defensive Team and MVC Most Improved honors. A native of Davenport, Iowa, Robbins set a school record with 99 total blocks, the third most in MVC history, and finished fifth in the nation in that category.
Robbins, who tallied seven double-doubles on the season, was also an NABC All-District Second Team honoree. A product of Assumption High School, Robbins is the nephew of Gophers associate head coach Ed Conroy and cousin of senior Hunt Conroy.
The watch list of 20 players for the award will be narrowed down to 10 in late January, while in late February five finalists will be presented to Mr. Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds.
The winner of the 2021 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award will be presented on Friday, April 9, 2021.
2021 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Candidates*
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2020-2021 season
After spending his first two seasons at Drake, Robbins transferred to Minnesota in April and was granted immediate eligibility in September.
This past season, he averaged team highs of 14.1 points and 7.1 rebounds along with 2.9 blocks per game, starting all 34 games for Drake and earning All-Missouri Valley Conference Second Team, All-Defensive Team and MVC Most Improved honors. A native of Davenport, Iowa, Robbins set a school record with 99 total blocks, the third most in MVC history, and finished fifth in the nation in that category.
Robbins, who tallied seven double-doubles on the season, was also an NABC All-District Second Team honoree. A product of Assumption High School, Robbins is the nephew of Gophers associate head coach Ed Conroy and cousin of senior Hunt Conroy.
The watch list of 20 players for the award will be narrowed down to 10 in late January, while in late February five finalists will be presented to Mr. Abdul-Jabbar and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds.
The winner of the 2021 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award will be presented on Friday, April 9, 2021.
2021 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Candidates*
| Matt Haarms | BYU |
| Mark Williams | Duke |
| Kofi Cockburn | Illinois |
| Luka Garza | Iowa |
| Olivier Sarr | Kentucky |
| Ahsan Asadullah | Lipscomb |
| Cameron Krutwig | Loyola Chicago |
| Mousa Cisse | Memphis |
| Liam Robbins | Minnesota |
| Armando Bacot | North Carolina |
| Walker Kessler | North Carolina |
| Trevion Williams | Purdue |
| Grant Golden | Richmond |
| Evan Mobley | USC |
| Neemias Queta | Utah State |
| Jay Huff | Virginia |
| Derek Culver | West Virginia |
| Charles Bassey | Western Kentucky |
| Micah Potter | Wisconsin |
| Loudon Love | Wright State |
Gopher GameDay Hype
Monday, November 03
Cinematic Recap: Gophers Win Exhibition Finale
Wednesday, October 29
Highlights: Gophers 82, North Dakota 62
Saturday, October 25
Cinematic Recap: Exhibition Opener
Monday, October 20