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University of North Carolina Athletics
Cole Anthony
Photo by: Andy Mead
Anthony Named To Watch List For Naismith Trophy
November 4, 2019 | Men's Basketball
CHAPEL HILL – The Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Monday the 50 men's players to watch during the season-long competition for the 2020 Citizen Naismith Trophy Men's Player of the Year honor. University of North Carolina freshman point guard Cole Anthony is on the list.
A list of the midseason 30 team will be released in early February, followed by the 10 national semifinalists and four finalists on March 5, 2020, and March 17, 2020, respectively. The 2020 Citizen Naismith Trophy will be awarded in the hometown of the Atlanta Tipoff Club during the Final Four at the Naismith Awards Brunch on April 5, 2020.
"The beginning of the season is filled with excitement, optimism and anticipation as each team and every player is undefeated, making the race for the Citizen Naismith Trophy wide open. While these 50 candidates are ones to keep an eye on, there will be plenty of others who will enter the competition as the season heats up," said Eric Oberman, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. "This year will be especially exciting for this award as we will honor the nation's top player in our home city when Atlanta hosts the 2020 Final Four."
Overall, the SEC tops the list with nine players represented, while the Big Ten and ACC are close runners-up with eight and seven candidates on the watch list, respectively. The 2019 Jersey Mike's Naismith High School Player of the Year award winner, Isaiah Stewart, now a freshman at the University of Washington, also made this year's college watch list. Players who do not make the watch list are still eligible to be selected for the midseason 30 team.
"The Citizen Naismith Trophy rewards the impressive efforts of the players on the watch list," said Eric Horowitz, managing director U.S. and travel retail, Citizen Watch Company of America, Inc. "We look forward to watching them compete for the Men's Player of the Year honor."
2020 Citizen Naismith Trophy Men's Preseason Watch List
A list of the midseason 30 team will be released in early February, followed by the 10 national semifinalists and four finalists on March 5, 2020, and March 17, 2020, respectively. The 2020 Citizen Naismith Trophy will be awarded in the hometown of the Atlanta Tipoff Club during the Final Four at the Naismith Awards Brunch on April 5, 2020.
"The beginning of the season is filled with excitement, optimism and anticipation as each team and every player is undefeated, making the race for the Citizen Naismith Trophy wide open. While these 50 candidates are ones to keep an eye on, there will be plenty of others who will enter the competition as the season heats up," said Eric Oberman, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. "This year will be especially exciting for this award as we will honor the nation's top player in our home city when Atlanta hosts the 2020 Final Four."
Overall, the SEC tops the list with nine players represented, while the Big Ten and ACC are close runners-up with eight and seven candidates on the watch list, respectively. The 2019 Jersey Mike's Naismith High School Player of the Year award winner, Isaiah Stewart, now a freshman at the University of Washington, also made this year's college watch list. Players who do not make the watch list are still eligible to be selected for the midseason 30 team.
"The Citizen Naismith Trophy rewards the impressive efforts of the players on the watch list," said Eric Horowitz, managing director U.S. and travel retail, Citizen Watch Company of America, Inc. "We look forward to watching them compete for the Men's Player of the Year honor."
2020 Citizen Naismith Trophy Men's Preseason Watch List
| NAME | CLASS | POSITION | SCHOOL | CONFERENCE |
| Bryce Aiken | Sr. | G | Harvard | IVY |
| Cole Anthony | Fr. | G | North Carolina | ACC |
| Udoka Azubuike | Sr. | C | Kansas | Big 12 |
| Kamar Baldwin | Sr. | G | Butler | BIG EAST |
| Charles Bassey | So. | C | Western Kentucky | C-USA |
| Kerry Blackshear Jr. | Sr. | F | Florida | SEC |
| Vernon Carey Jr. | Fr. | C | Duke | ACC |
| Yoeli Childs | Sr. | F | BYU | WCC |
| Tristan Clark | Jr. | F | Baylor | Big 12 |
| Anthony Cowan Jr. | Sr. | G | Maryland | Big Ten |
| Jarron Cumberland | Sr. | G | Cincinnati | AAC |
| Mamadi Diakite | Sr. | F | Virginia | ACC |
| Alpha Diallo | Sr. | G | Providence | BIG EAST |
| Ayo Dosunmu | So. | G | Illinois | Big Ten |
| Devon Dotson | So. | G | Kansas | Big 12 |
| Anthony Edwards | Fr. | G | Georgia | SEC |
| Jordan Ford | Sr. | G | St. Mary's | WCC |
| Kellan Grady | Jr. | G | Davidson | A-10 |
| Jon Axel Gudmundsson | Sr. | G | Davidson | A-10 |
| Ashton Hagans | So. | G | Kentucky | SEC |
| Tyrese Haliburton | So. | G | Iowa State | Big 12 |
| Markus Howard | Sr. | G | Marquette | BIG EAST |
| Markell Johnson | Sr. | G | NC State | ACC |
| Tre Jones | So. | G | Duke | ACC |
| Anthony Lamb | Sr. | F | Vermont | America East |
| Kira Lewis Jr. | So. | G | Alabama | SEC |
| Nico Mannion | Fr. | G | Arizona | Pac-12 |
| Naji Marshall | Jr. | F | Xavier | BIG EAST |
| Tyrese Maxey | Fr. | G | Kentucky | SEC |
| Skylar Mays | Sr. | G | LSU | SEC |
| Sam Merrill | Sr. | G | Utah State | Mountain West |
| John Mooney | Sr. | F | Notre Dame | ACC |
| Andrew Nembhard | So. | G | Florida | SEC |
| Jordan Nwora | Jr. | F | Louisville | ACC |
| Reggie Perry | So. | F | Mississippi State | SEC |
| Myles Powell | Sr. | G | Seton Hall | BIG EAST |
| Payton Pritchard | Sr. | G | Oregon | Pac-12 |
| Zavier Simpson | Sr. | G | Michigan | Big Ten |
| Jalen Smith | So. | F | Maryland | Big Ten |
| Lamar Stevens | Sr. | F | Penn State | Big Ten |
| Isaiah Stewart | Fr. | F | Washington | Pac-12 |
| Killian Tillie | Sr. | F | Gonzaga | WCC |
| Xavier Tillman | Jr. | F | Michigan State | Big Ten |
| Tres Tinkle | Sr. | F | Oregon State | Pac-12 |
| Obi Toppin | So. | F | Dayton | A-10 |
| Breein Tyree | Sr. | G | Ole Miss | SEC |
| Kaleb Wesson | Jr. | F | Ohio State | Big Ten |
| Cassius Winston | Sr. | G | Michigan State | Big Ten |
| James Wiseman | Fr. | C | Memphis | AAC |
| McKinley Wright IV | Jr. | G | Colorado | Pac-12 |
Players Mentioned
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