BOSTON - For the second consecutive season, Santa Clara men's basketball has a finalist for the Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award, which is presented annually to the top mid-major player in Division I. Sophomore guard Brandin Podziemski was named one of 30 finalists for the 2022-23 award, as announced on Thursday.
Podziemski is one of just three players from the West Coast Conference including among the finalists, joining Saint Mary's Logan Johnson and LMU's Cam Shelton. Current Oklahoma City Thunder star Jalen Williams represented the Broncos on last season's finalist list.
The award honors former Illinois and New Mexico State head coach Lou Henson who won 775 games in 41 seasons. Henson is the winningest coach at both Illinois and New Mexico State. During his 21 seasons with Illinois (1975-1996), Henson led the Fighting Illini to 16 postseason appearances, including 12 NCAA tournaments and a Final Four appearance in 1989, and is one of only 11 coaches to take two different schools to the NCAA Final Four. His teams have made 19 NCAA appearances and four NIT appearances.
Players on teams from the following conferences are eligible for the award: America East, ASUN, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Horizon, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, MEAC, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, SWAC, Summit, Sun
Belt, WAC, West Coast.
The recipient of the 2023 award will be announced in March in Houston, site of the men's NCAA Basketball Championship.
Podziemski was named the WCC Co-Player and Newcomer of the Year in addition to earning First Team All-WCC honors. The Greenfield, Wisc. product is averaging 19.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, and has posted a conference-best 13 double-doubles. That includes five-straight to close out the season. Podziemski, who won a school-record four WCC Player of the Week awards, has scored 20 or more points in 15 games with four 30-point outings. He is one of just three players in NCAA D1 to average 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists per contest this season.
Podziemski and the Broncos are currently playing the waiting game to see if a second-consecutive postseason tournament is in their future.
