TicketsCINCINNATI – Moustapha Thiam, a sophomore on the Cincinnati men’s basketball team, has been named to the Naismith Starting 5 – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Friday. The award is annually given to the top center in college basketball.
Thiam, who played his freshman season at UCF, led the Big 12 in total blocks, averaging 10.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per contest a year ago. He was named a Kyle Macy Award finalist as one of the top freshmen in the nation. A native of Dakar, Senegal, Thiam was the only Power 4-plus Big East freshman to average at least 10 points, 5.0 boards and 2.5 blocks per contest. Thiam also shot 49.8% from the field, connecting on 23 3-pointers in his freshman campaign.
The Bearcats open the regular season against Western Carolina at 7 p.m. Monday at Fifth Third Arena.