Gophers’ redshirt junior Marcus Carr earned a spot on the 2021 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Watch List Thursday. This is Carr’s second preseason honor after he was named to the All-Big Ten Team earlier this month.
The trophy is annually presented to the men’s college basketball player who achieves great success on the court. The past two winners of the trophy include Obi Toppin of Dayton and Zion Williamson of Duke. Both ended up top-10 picks in the NBA draft, with Williamson going No. 1 overall in 2019.
After an impressive sophomore year, Carr will hope to continue his success on the court. He finished second on the team last year in points per game with 15.4 and led the team with 6.7 assists per game.
Carr is one of 50 players on the preseason watch list, including eight others from the Big Ten. In early February, the list will be cut down to 30 for a midseason watch list. On March 4, it will be brought down to 10 semifinalists before ultimately the four finalists are announced March 16.
Staying on the list isn’t an easy task throughout the season, and Carr will have to prove himself worthy of it throughout the season. The Gophers open their season Wednesday against Green Bay.
