PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Pitt sophomore Justin Champagnie is one of five finalists for the 2021 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award. The award comes from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and goes to the best power forward in Division 1 men’s college basketball.
Champagnie leads the ACC in scoring (18.8 points per game), rebounding (11.4) and with 11 double-doubles. The sophomore also had back-to-back 20-point and 20-rebound games this season, joining Blake Griffin and Caleb Swanigan as the only players in the past 25 years to record consecutive 20-20 games.
Joining Champagnie are Drew Timme (Gonzaga), Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana), Sandro Mamukelashvili (Seton Hall) and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (Villanova).
“We’re excited to recognize these five tremendous power forwards as the best in the collegiate game today,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “Nonetheless, only one can take home the award come April and we’re grateful to have Karl Malone spearheading a committee that will take great care when evaluating these players in the games that matter most.”