Haas Tabbed Finalist for Abdul-Jabbar Award
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue senior Isaac Haas has been selected as a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award given to the nation’s top center, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced today.
Haas is joined on the list by Jock Landale (Saint Mary’s), Angel Delgado (Seton Hall), Thomas Welsh (UCLA) and Brandon McCoy (UNLV). Fans are encouraged to visit HoopHallAwards.com to cast their votes March 9-23. Previous winners include Przemek Karnowski (Gonzaga), Jakob Poeltl (Utah) and Frank Kaminsky (Wisconsin).
It marks the second time in the last three years that a Purdue center has been named a finalist for the Abdul-Jabbar Award after A.J. Hammons was one of five honorees following the 2016 season.
It’s also the third straight year that Purdue has had a finalist for a big man award. In addition to Hammons in 2016, Caleb Swanigan was a finalist for the Malone Award in 2017, for the nation’s top power forward.
Lastly, Purdue is one of five schools nationally to have a finalist in each of the last three years (Purdue, Duke, Villanova, Kansas, North Carolina). The Boilermakers are one of four teams to have two finalists this year (Purdue, Duke, North Carolina, Villanova) as Haas is joined by shooting guard Carsen Edwards, a finalist for the Jerry West Award.
The winner of the 2018 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award will be honored at ESPN’s College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy’s in downtown Los Angeles on Friday, April 6, 2018. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Point Guard Award, the Jerry West Shooting Guard award, the Julius Erving Small Forward Award and the Karl Malone Power Forward. Broadcast information will be released at a later date.
Haas, a 7-foot, 2-inch senior from Hokes Bluff, Alabama, is one of the most-imposing players in college basketball, averaging 14.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 62.1 percent from the field and 76.2 percent from the free throw line.
He has scored in double figures in nine straight games and has posted nine games of 20 or more points this season. His 62.1 field goal percentage this season is the seventh-best mark in school history.
Haas ranks 21st on both the school’s career scoring list (1,546) and rebounds list (633) while ranking fourth on the career field goal percentage list (.590). He has scored over 1,500 points during his career in just 18.0 minutes per game, averaging 25.0 points / 40 minutes for his career. He is the only player in the country since 2009-10 to have scored over 1,500 points in under 20.0 minutes per game.
Haas and the 28-6 Boilermakers will learn their NCAA Tournament selection Sunday at 6 p.m. ET, on TBS, as part of the March Madness Selection Show. It will be the fourth straight appearance for the Boilermakers.