Omier Voted a Karl Malone Award Top 10 Candidate
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Norchad Omier of the University of Miami men’s basketball team is among the top 10 candidates for the elite Karl Malone Award, as announced Thursday afternoon by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Named after Class of 2010 Hall of Famer and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Karl Malone, the annual honor in its ninth year recognizes the top power forward in Division I men’s college basketball.
Omier is among three ACC designees, joining Duke’s Kyle Filipowski and Clemson’s Hunter Tyson. The rest of the list includes Akron’s Enrique Freeman, Dayton’s DaRon Holmes II, Providence’s Bryce Hopkins, Indiana’s Trayce-Jackson Davis, Iowa’s Kris Murray, Gonzaga’s Drew Timme and Arizona’s Azuolas Tubelis.
A third-year sophomore forward from Bluefields, Nicaragua, Omier is averaging 13.8 points, a team-best 10.1 rebounds, a team-high 1.4 blocks, 1.2 assists and 1.0 steal per game. He is shooting a team-leading 60.4 percent from the floor for No. 19/20 Miami (19-5, 10-4 ACC) and is one of three Division I players—alongside Purdue’s Zach Edey and Syracuse’s Jesse Edwards—averaging at least 13.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game on 60 percent shooting.
Norchad Omier has been named one of the top 10 candidates for the Karl Malone Award.
Congrats, @NorchadO!
More: https://t.co/ej3TcMseOh pic.twitter.com/0vOucYn6Xq
— Canes Men’s Basketball (@CanesHoops) February 9, 2023
The 6-foot-7, 248-pounder is third among active Division I players in both career rebounding average (11.6) and double-doubles (46). This season, Omier ranks eighth nationally in offensive rebounds per game (3.8), No. 14 in rebounding average, No. 15 in double-doubles (11) and No. 20 in field-goal percentage.
Omier is the second Hurricane to make a Men’s Starting Five top 10 list, as fourth-year junior guard Isaiah Wong is a candidate for the Jerry West Award.
Fans can support their favorite players in the remaining rounds by participating in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, starting Feb. 10 on hoophallawards.com. The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.
In March, five finalists will be presented to West and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The Selection Committee for the Karl Malone Award is composed of top men’s college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers. The winner of the 2023 Karl Malone Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five.
