Sandro Mamukelashvili Named to 2021 Karl Malone Award Watch List

Springfield, Mass. - Senior forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (Tbilisi, Georgia) of the Seton Hall men's basketball team has been named to the 2021 Karl Malone Award Watch List as one of 20 candidates for national power forward of the year, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Thursday. Named after Class of 2010 Hall of Famer and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Karl Malone, the annual honor in its seventh year recognizes the top power forwards in Division I men's college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.

A unanimous selection to the preseason All-BIG EAST first team, Mamukelashvili returned for his senior season on the heels of a fantastic ending to his junior campaign. After missing 10 games due to injury, Mamukelashvili caught fire in February and showed incredible versatility in being able to shoot from long distance, drive to the basket, rebound and block shots. Over the final eight games of the season while helping Seton Hall win the 2020 BIG EAST regular season championship, Mamukelashvili averaged 15.1 points and 7.8 rebounds while shooting 57 percent overall and 50 percent from three. His marquee game came at Marquette on Feb. 29, when he delivered a career-high 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting in a road win. He also was strong against Villanova, averaging 18.5 points and 9.0 rebounds in two appearances against the Wildcats.

Mamukelasvhili, as well as Bob Cousy Award nominee Bryce Aiken, will chase a national positional player of the year award in the hopes of landing Seton Hall a third award in the last four seasons. Angel Delgado was named the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar National Center of the Year in 2018 and Myles Powell was named the Jerry West National Shooting Guard of the Year in 2020. Seton Hall's two awards are second only to Villanova's four among BIG EAST schools.

Mamukelashvili, alongside three senior teammates, will steer the Pirates with the goal of extending the program's streak of consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, 20-win seasons and top-three BIG EAST finishes that started in 2015-16.

College basketball fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2021 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award will be narrowed to just 10. In late February, five finalists will be presented to Mr. Cousy and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. The winner of the 2021 Bob Cousy Award will be presented April 9, 2021, along with the other four members of the Men's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Jerry West Shooting Guard Award, the Julius Erving Small Forward Award, the Karl Malone Power Forward Award and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center Award, in addition to the Women's Starting Five.

2021 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award Candidates*

Mark Vital	Baylor
Aamir Simms	Clemson
Matthew Hurt	Duke
Drew Timme	Gonzaga
Trayce Jackson-Davis	Indiana
Isaiah Jackson	Kentucky
Trendon Watford	LSU
Tre Mitchell	Massachusetts
Garrison Brooks	North Carolina
Seth Towns	Ohio State
Brady Manek	Oklahoma
Hasahn French	Saint Louis
Sandro Mamukelashvili	Seton Hall
Oscar da Silva	Stanford
John Fulkerson	Tennessee
Greg Brown	Texas
Kevin Marfo	Texas A&M
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl	Villanova
Oscar Tshiebwe	West Virginia
Nate Reuvers	Wisconsin