“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. Seven schools lead the watch list with two players apiece, including Duke, which has won more Citizen Naismith Trophies (8) than any other school with the addition of last year’s winner, Zion Williamson. Additional schools with two players represented include Davidson, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland and Michigan State. 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 |
ABOUT THE ATLANTA TIPOFF CLUB
Founded during the 1956-57 season, the Atlanta Tipoff Club is committed to promoting the game of basketball and recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of those who make the game so exciting. The Atlanta Tipoff Club administers the Naismith Awards, the most prestigious national honors in all of college and high school basketball. Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, inventor of the game of basketball, the family of Naismith Awards annually recognizes the most outstanding men’s and women’s college and high school basketball players and coaches. Other Naismith Awards are presented to the men’s and women’s college basketball defensive players of the year, as well as lifetime achievement awards to basketball officials and outstanding contributors to the game. UCLA’s Lew Alcindor received the first Citizen Naismith Trophy in 1969, while the late Anne Donovan (Old Dominion) was the inaugural women’s recipient in 1983. Corporate partners of the Naismith Awards include Citizen Watch Company, Jersey Mike’s and Werner Ladder.
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