Semifinalists for Naismith Defensive Player of Year announced

by: Chandler Vessels03/01/22ChandlerVessels

The ten semifinalists for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year have been announced, per CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander. The SEC is the only conference to have multiple semifinalists, with three players on the list.

All of the other Power 5 conferences have at least one player on the list, and the WCC, Atlantic 10 and CUSA are also represented. Of the ten semifinalists for the award, four will be named finalists on March 16 before a winner is finally announced April 3, one day before the national championship game.

Baylor guard Davion Mitchell was named the winner during the 2020-21 season before leading the Bears to a national title victory against Gonzaga. He finished that season averaging 1.9 steals per game while also leading the team in defensive win shares (1.9) according to Basketball-Reference.

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The Naismith College Player of the Year Trophy, named after inventor of basketball James Naismith, has been awarded annually every season since 1969. The defensive version of the award was not added until 2018, when West Virginia’s Jevon Carter was named the first-ever winner. A trophy has also been given out to the Coach of the Year every season since 1987, with Gonzaga’s Mark Few claiming it last season.

With many conference tournaments set to begin play this week, the time is now for players and coaches alike to make their case. Below is the full list of the ten semifinalists for the 2021-22 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year in alphabetical order.