ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Junior guard Caris LeVert of the University of Michigan men’s basketball team was named today (Wednesday, Dec. 3) to the preseason top-50 list for the 2015 Naismith Trophy as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. It is the fourth national player of the year award preseason list for LeVert. He’s also been named to watch lists for the John R. Wooden Award, the Oscar Robertson Trophy as well as the Lute Olson Award.
LeVert is one of seven Big Ten players selected to the preseason list, joining Wisconsin’s Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky, Michigan State’s Branden Dawson, Indiana’s Yogi Ferrell, Nebraska’s Terran Petteway and Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell.
LeVert has averaged 16.7 points and leads the Wolverines with 5.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.0 steals per game this season. He has six double-figure scoring games with three 20-plus point games including a season-best 24 against Nicholls State (Nov. 29). He nearly recorded U-M’s fourth triple-double in the season opener against Hillsdale after a 20 point, eight rebound, career-best nine assist night.
In mid-February the top-50 list will be paired down to the midseason 30 (Feb. 12), before 10 semifinalists will be selected at the end of the regular season on March 6. The four finalists will then be announced on March 22 during the second and third rounds of the NCAA Tournament with the winner named on April 5 following the Final Four and prior to the national championship game on April 6.
2015 Naismith Trophy Watch List
Cliff Alexander, Kansas
Brandon Ashley, Arizona
Ron Baker, Wichita State
Ryan Boatright, Connecticut
Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia
Willie Cauley-Stein, Kentucky
Branden Dawson, Michigan State
Sam Dekker, Wisconsin
Perry Ellis, Kansas
Yogi Ferrell, Indiana
Marcus Foster, Kansas State
Michael Frazier II, Florida
Treveon Graham, VCU
Jerian Grant, Notre Dame
Olivier Hanlan, Boston College
Montrezl Harrell, Louisville
Aaron Harrison, Kentucky
Tyler Haws, BYU
Buddy Hield, Oklahoma
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Arizona
R.J. Hunter, Georgia State
Stanley Johnson, Arizona
Tyus Jones, Duke
Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin
Caris LeVert, Michigan
Jordan Mickey, LSU
Nic Moore, SMU
Georges Niang, Iowa State
Jahlil Okafor, Duke
Marcus Paige, North Carolina
Kevin Pangos, Gonzaga
Terran Petteway, Nebraska
Chasson Randle, Stanford
Terry Rozier, Louisville
D’Angelo Russell, Ohio State
Wesley Saunders, Harvard
Wayne Selden Jr., Kansas
Winston Shepard, San Diego State
D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Georgetown
Juwan Staten, West Virginia
Keifer Sykes, Green Bay
Isaiah Taylor, Texas
Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky
Myles Turner, Texas
Fred VanVleet, Wichita State
Rashad Vaughn, UNLV
Alan Williams, UC Santa Barbara
Justise Winslow, Duke
Delon Wright, Utah
Joseph Young, Oregon
Caris LeVert’s 2014-15 Accolades
• Preseason Top 50 & Watch List, John R. Wooden Award
• Preseason Top 50 & Watch List, Oscar Robertson Trophy
• Preseason Top 50 & Watch List, Naismith Trophy
• Preseason Top 50 & Watch List, Lute Olson Award
• Preseason All-Big Ten Team
• Lute Olson Preseason All-America Team
• Blue Ribbon Preseason All-America, Second Team
• CBSSports.com Preseason All-America, Second Team
• Athlon Sports, Preseason All-America, Second Team
• CollegeSportsMadness.com, Preseason All-America, Third Team
• BTN.com Preseason All-Big Ten, First Team (unanimous selection)
• Blue Ribbon Preseason All-Big Ten, First Team
• Athlon Sports Preseason All-Big Ten, First Team
• CollegeSportsMadness.com Preseason All-Big Ten, First Team
• Athlon Sports, Preseason All-Junior, Second Team
• Athlon Sports, No. 1 ranked “Slasher”
• Athlon Sports, Big Ten’s Most Underrated Player
• Athlon Sports, Top Shooting Guards, No. 12