The Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year, Keifer Sykes of Green Bay, has been named to the Naismith Watch List as one of the top-50 players in the country.The Naismith Award is presented annually by the Atlanta Tipoff Board of Selectors to the men’s basketball player of the year.
The list of top-50 players will be cut down to the Midseason Top-30 on Thursday, Feb. 12. Ten semifinalists will be named on Friday, March 6 and the four finalists will be announced on Sunday, March 22. The winner is presented the prestigious award at the Final Four on Sunday, April 5.
Sykes, the preseason Horizon Player of the Year, was also named to the Wooden Award Watch Lists for the nation’s top player and the Cousy Award Watch List as one of the country’s top point guards.
Six games into his senior campaign, Sykes has picked up where he left off in 2013-14. On Monday, Sykes was named the Horizon League Player of the Week for a league record 11th time in his career after leading the Phoenix to the title at the 2014 Gulf Coast Showcase.
For the season, Sykes is averaging 18.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. The 6-foot point guard is shooting 54.2 percent from the field and 80 percent from the free-throw line.
Having played his 100th career game on Monday, Sykes has scored 1,593 points and dished out 420 assists. The Chicago native ranks ninth all-time in scoring and sixth in assists.
(Release courtesy of Andrew Gavin, Green Bay Athletics)
