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SALT LAKE CITY — BYU junior power forward Yoeli Childs’ name was included with some elite company Thursday morning.
The BYU star was announced as one of 10 college athletes named to the 2019 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award by The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Childs, along with Duke freshman Zion Williamson; Kansas junior Dedric Lawson; and North Carolina senior Luke Maye, are members of the watchlist that was narrowed down from the original 20-name list released back in October.
“The young men recognized as the top ten candidates for this, and other awards in the Naismith Starting 5, should feel extremely proud,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame in a statement. “While there’s still a lot of basketball left to be played, they have proven themselves thus far to be fierce competitors and fantastic teammates, much like Karl Malone himself.”
The winner of the 2019 Karl Malone Award, along with the other four members of the Naismith Starting 5, will be announced at The College Basketball Awards in April. The four other awards making up the Naismith Starting 5 also feature the names of former NBA greats, including the Bob Cousy Point Guard Award, the Jerry West Shooting Guard Award, the Julius Erving Small Forward Award and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center Award.
Childs is averaging career and team highs in points (21.2 per game) and rebounds (9.5 per game) this season while also shooting 52.5 percent from the field, 32.9 percent from 3-point range, and 72.0 percent from the free-throw line.
Of the 10 players on the watchlist, Childs averages the third most points and the fifth most rebounds and is one of two players — along with South Dakota State senior Mike Daum — not from a Power Five conference.
"It was an honor just to be in the company of a lot of great players," Childs told ESPN after the Cougars' rout of Portland late Thursday night. "To see your name next to Karl Malone, knowing how great he is, is awesome.
"I’m just grateful for the opportunities I have."
Previous winners of the award include former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton (2018) and current Jazz-man Georges Niang (2016).
Additional information about the award and the full watchlist can be found here.
