Ryan Boatright may be battling an ankle injury which could affect his availability for Friday's game against Yale, but the senior point guard remains the most important player on UConn's roster, and one of the best players in the country.
On Wednesday, he was named to the Naismith Trophy Watch List, along with 50 other players. The James A. Naismith Trophy is presented annually by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to the College Player of the Year.
More details via UConn's website:
Boatright is one of just two players from the American Athletic Conference who made the list, the other being Nic Moore of SMU. Boatright, an All-Final Four selection last season as he helped the Huskies capture the NCAA Championship, has also been named to the watch lists of the John R. Wooden Award and the Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award.
Boatright currently leads the American Athletic Conference in scoring at 20.8 points per game is also averaging 6.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. He was the AAC Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 16-23 and has made the league’s weekly Honor Roll the other two weeks of the season. He was named the conference’s Preseason Player of the Year by a vote of the league’s coaches.
The Naismith Trophy list will be shortened to a Midseason 30 on Feb. 2, cut to 10 semifinalists on March 6, down to four finalists on March 22, and the winner will be named on April 5.
Through five games, Boatright is averaging 20.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4 assists a game.
