Nov. 6, 2017
BOSTON — Georgia Tech men’s basketball senior Ben Lammers is one of 40 Division I student-athletes to be named to the official preseason watch list for the 2017-18 Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award, it was announced Monday.
Named after the Hall of Fame head coach, the annual honor is awarded to the nation’s top Division I player who has played at least two seasons. Olson won 776 games in 34 seasons, 24 of which spent at the University of Arizona, and is one of only 25 head coaches in NCAA history (all divisions) to win 700 or more games, ranking ninth overall in Division I career victories.
One of just five players from the Atlantic Coast Conference on the initial Olson Award list, Lammers is coming off a breakout junior year in which he was named to the All-ACC second team and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. The 6-10 senior from San Antonio, Texas, averaged 14.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game while hitting 51.5 percent of his shots from the floor. He ranked third in the nation in blocked shots (125) and averaged more than 35 minutes per game in helping lead the Yellow Jackets to a 21-16 record (8-10 in the ACC) and make a run to the finals of the NIT.
The 2017-18 Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award will be announced on March 31, 2018 at the CollegeInsider.com Awards Event in Lammers’ hometown of San Antonio, site of the men’s NCAA Basketball Championship.
Past recipients of the Lute Olson award include current NBA players Kemba Walker, Shane Larkin, and last year’s recipient, Caleb Swanigan of Purdue.
2017-18 Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award Watch List
Jalen Adams, Connecticut
Deng Adel, Louisville
Peyton Aldridge, Davidson
Grayson Allen, Duke
Joel Berry II, North Carolina
Trevon Bluiett, Xavier
Miles Bridges, Michigan State
Bruce Brown Jr., Miami
Jalen Brunson, Villanova
Jevon Carter, West Virginia
Joe Chealey, Charleston
Gary Clark, Cincinnati
Chris Clemons, Campbell
Bonzie Colson, Notre Dame
Mike Daum, South Dakota State
Tyler Davis, Texas A&M
Angel Delgado, Seton Hall
Shannon Evans II, Arizona State
Marcus Foster, Creighton
Nana Foulland, Bucknell
Devonte Graham, Kansas
Tyler Hall, Montana State
Ethan Happ, Wisconsin
Kevin Hervey, UT Arlington
Aaron Holiday, UCLA
Ben Lammers, Georgia Tech
Jock Landale, Saint Mary’s
Kelan Martin, Butler
Yante Maten, Georgia
E.C. Matthews, Rhode Island
Jordan McLaughlin, USC
Chimezie Metu, USC
Shake Milton, SMU
Chima Moneke, UC Davis
Landry Shamet, Wichita State
D’Marcus Simmonds, Georgia State
MaCio Teague, UNC Asheville
Reid Travis, Stanford
Allonzo Trier, Arizona
Robert Williams, Texas A&M
Lammers and the Yellow Jackets open the 2017-18 regular season nearly 7,700 miles away from The Flats in Shanghai, China as part of the 2017 Pac-12 China Game against UCLA on Friday, Nov. 10. The game is scheduled to tip off at 11:30 p.m. eastern time and will be broadcast live on ESPN.
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL
Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team is in its second year under head coach Josh Pastner. Tech has been a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1979, won three ACC Championships (1985, 1990, 1993), played in the NCAA Tournament 16 times and played in two Final Fours (1990, 2004). Connect with Georgia Tech Men’s Basketball on social media by liking their Facebook Page, or following on Twitter (@GTMBB) and Instagram.
For more information on Tech basketball, visit Ramblinwreck.com. Tickets for men’s basketball can be purchased here.
