Gonzaga’s Ryan Nembhard named to preseason watch list for NABC player of the year

Nov. 2—Gonzaga point guard Ryan Nembhard has been named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Player of the Year preseason watch list, marking his second preseason award recognition.

Nembhard, who recently transferred to Gonzaga from Creighton, is among 19 other players on the list. His former teammates from Creighton, Ryan Kalkbrenner and Trey Alexander, as well as Oumar Ballo, a former Bulldogs center now playing for Arizona, are also included.

In addition to this latest nomination, Nembhard was previously named to the Bob Cousy Award watch list, which honors the nation’s top point guard. Interestingly, his older brother Andrew, who also played for GU, was on the 2021 NABC Player of the Year preseason watch list.

During his time at Creighton, Ryan Nembhard showcased his skills by averaging 11.8 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.6 rebounds in all 64 of his career games. He recorded a shooting percentage of 42% from the field and an impressive 81.6% at the free-throw line.

The Gonzaga team will potentially face four players from the NABC Player of the Year watch list in upcoming games, namely Donovan Clingan from UConn, Zach Edey from Purdue, and Isaiah Collier and Boogie Ellis from USC. Additionally, there is a possibility of encountering Hunter Dickinson from Kansas or Tyler Kolek from Marquette at the Maui Invitational tournament.

It’s worth noting that Edey was the recipient of the Player of the Year award last season, with the last player to win it for two consecutive years being Duke’s Jay Williams in 2001-02.

Collier and Kolek are also included on the Cousy watch list along with Nembhard.

Other notable players on the NABC watch list are Max Abmas from Texas, Armando Bacot from North Carolina, Boo Buie from Northwestern, Kyle Filipowski from Duke, Bryce Hopkins from Providence, Justin Moore from Villanova, Tyrese Proctor from Duke, Terrence Shannon Jr. from Illinois, Wade Taylor IV from Texas A&M, and Tyson Walker from Michigan State.

Last season, Nembhard led Creighton to the Elite Eight and showcased his scoring ability by recording a career-high 30 points in a second-round victory over Baylor.