SPRINGFIELD, MASS. – Creighton center Justin Patton has gained national notoriety before he's ever played in a collegiate game that counts.
The 7-foot center from Omaha has been named by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as one of 20 men on the watch list for the 2017 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award.
Named after Hall of Famer and three-time NCAA Champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the annual honor in its third year recognizes the top centers in men's college basketball. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel determined the candidates.