PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The preseason accolades keep rolling in for senior Rutgers center
Clifford Omoruyi.
Omoruyi, who was previously selected to the 2023-24 Preseason All-Big Ten Team and was recognized as a preseason top-20 contender for the Kareem Abdul Jabbar Award has now been recognized as a member of the top-50 Naismith Trophy Watchlist, given to the National Player of the Year by the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Omouryi is the first RU player to be recognized as a member of the preseason watchlist for the NPOY award since forward
Ron Harper Jr. in 2021. Omoruyi is one of seven players in the Big Ten Conference to be named to the list.
This list will be cut down to the nation's top-30 players midseason in February and four finalists will be selected in March. The winner will be announced on April 2 at the Final Four,
"I'm super excited for the team this year,"
Omoruyi said. "Being a leader alongside
Aundre (Hyatt) and
Mawot (Mag) an Oskar (
Palmquist) is exciting. We all want to win. We want to put game balls and trophies in Coach (Steve) Pikiell's office. We have a goal of winning the Big Ten Championship and personally, I want to be the best player I can be for my teammates."
Big Cliff returned to Piscataway after declaring for the 2023 NBA Draft in March. He was invited to the 2023 NBA G League Elite Camp and worked out with many NBA teams gaining feedback from pro personnel on his future at the next level.
"I've built a legacy at Rutgers," Omoruyi wrote in his return statement. "Coach Pikiell has a vision for this program to compete for a national championship this season and I believe in his vision. I plan to fulfill my promise to my mom to finish what I started and graduate with a college degree. I am excited for what's to come."
The list of centers for the Kareem Abdul Jabbar Award will be narrowed down to 10 in late January, with plans to announce our Final 5 in late March. The winner of this award, as well as presentation details, will be announced towards the end of the season at the Final Four in Phoenix.
2023-24 also marks consecutive All-Big Ten Preseason honors for the Benin City, Nigeria native.
Omoruyi is the third player to receive a preseason All-Big Ten honor since the Scarlet Knights joined the conference in 2014.
Omoruyi's former teammates
Ron Harper Jr. (2021-22) and
Geo Baker (2020-21) received the honor making four consecutive seasons a Scarlet Knight was named to the All-Big Ten Team.
Omoruyi was a member of the First-Team All-Big Ten Defensive Team and was tabbed to the Second-Team All-Big Ten a season ago.
"We are first thankful that he came back and that he came back to graduate being a Dean's List student," head coach Steve
Pikiell said at the team's local media day this week. "He's starting to handle the ball, shoot it better, and become a more vocal leader on the court. The NBA workouts were very beneficial for him taking the feedback that he got and he worked really hard at it. He's going to mean a lot to our program and our university because of the type of person he is. He's going to be one of the best big guys in the country, and I really appreciate him."
Omoruyi was one of the most skilled big men in the nation and one of the most improved players in the conference. In 2022-23,
Omoruyi produced a team-best 13.2 points and 9.6 rebounds per contest, which were both career bests.
Omoruyi started all 34 games last season and had 13 double-doubles while shooting 50.7% from the field. Omoruyi was one of the best-shot blockers in the country last season with 72 rejections ranking 15
th in the country and third in the Big Ten.
Omoruyi has amassed 918 career points at RU.
Omoruyi is excited for the 2023-24 season and has expectations to go deep in the tournament.
"This is a really good team, and I can't wait for the fans to see what we got," Omoruyi said. "We have a fast-paced team, and we can shoot the ball better than we did last year."
Omoruyi has worked on his game and noted where he wants to improve the most as one of the best centers in the nation in 2023-24.
"When I am getting double-teamed in the post, I want to be able to make the best pass and move the ball better in our offense," Omoruyi said. "I think I've improved being a more vocal leader on both the offensive and defensive end."
The Naismith released their awards for the top-50 National Player of the Year Watchlist below:
| Max Abrams |
Grad Student |
G |
Texas |
| Trey Alexander |
Junior |
G |
Creighton |
| Armando Bacot |
Grad Student |
F/C |
North Carolina |
| Oumar Ballo |
Senior |
C |
Arizona |
| Reece Beekman |
Senior |
G |
Virginia |
| Adem Bona |
Sophomore |
F/C |
UCLA |
| Trevon Brazile |
Sophomore |
F |
Arkansas |
| Johni Broome |
Junior |
F/C |
Auburn |
| Boo Buie |
Grad Student |
G |
Northwestern |
| Donovan Clingan |
Sophomore |
C |
UConn |
| Isaiah Collier |
Freshman |
G |
USC |
| L.J. Cryer |
Senior |
G |
Houston |
| Tristan da Silva |
Senior |
F |
Colorado |
| Johnell Davis |
Junior |
G |
FAU |
| RJ Davis |
Senior |
G |
North Carolina |
| Tucker DeVries |
Junior |
G/F |
Drake |
| Hunter Dickinson |
Senior |
C |
Kansas |
| Zach Edey |
Senior |
C |
Purdue |
| Justin Edwards |
Freshman |
G |
Kentucky |
| Boogie Ellis |
Fifth Year |
G |
USC |
| Kyle Filipowski |
Sophomore |
C |
Duke |
| PJ Hall |
Senior |
C |
Clemson |
| Dajuan Harris Jr. |
Junior |
G |
Kansas |
| A.J. Hoggard |
Senior |
G |
Michigan State |
| DaRon Holmes II |
Junior |
F |
Dayton |
| Bryce Hopkins |
Junior |
F/G |
Providence |
| Kam Jones |
Junior |
G |
Marquette |
| Ryan Kalkbrenner |
Senior |
C |
Creighton |
| Tyler Kolek |
Senior |
G |
Marquette |
| Caleb Love |
Senior |
G |
Arizona |
| Aidan Mahaney |
Sophomore |
G |
Saint Mary's |
| Alijah Martin |
Junior |
G |
FAU |
| Kevin McCullar Jr. |
Senior |
G |
Kansas |
| Judah Mintz |
Sophomore |
G |
Syracuse |
| Justin Moore |
Grad Student |
G |
Villanova |
| Grant Nelson |
Senior |
F |
Alabama |
| Ryan Nembhard |
Junior |
G |
Gonzaga |
| Norchad Omier |
Junior |
F |
Miami |
| Clifford Omoruyi |
Senior |
C |
Rutgers |
| Nijel Pack |
Junior |
G |
Miami |
| Tylor Perry |
Fifth Year |
G |
Kansas State |
| Tyrese Proctor |
Sophomore |
G |
Duke |
| Terrence Shannon Jr. |
Fifth Year |
G |
Illinois |
| Jamal Shead |
Senior |
G |
Houston |
| Tolu Smith |
Grad Student |
F |
Mississippi State |
| Isaiah Stevens |
Grad Student |
G |
Colorado State |
| Wade Taylor IV |
Junior |
G |
Texas A&M |
| Santiago Vescovi |
Fifth Year |
G |
Tennessee |
| Tyson Walker |
Grad Student |
G |
Michigan State |
| Jahmir Young |
Fifth Year |
G |
Maryland |
The Big Ten's Conferences full preseason team is listed below. Purdue center Zach Edey was selected as the Big Ten's Preseason Player of the Year:
2023-24 Media Big Ten Preseason All-Big Ten Team
Terrence Shannon Jr., Illinois
Julian Reese, Maryland
Jahmir Young, Maryland
Dawson Garcia, Minnesota
A.J. Hoggard, Michigan State
Tyson Walker, Michigan State
Keisei Tominaga, Nebraska
Boo Buie, Northwestern
Zach Edey, Purdue
Clifford Omoruyi, Rutgers
2023-24 Media Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year
Zach Edey, Purdue
The 2023 Kareem Abdul Jabbar Center of the Year top-20 preseason list is listed below:
| NAME |
SCHOOL |
| Aaron Bradshaw |
Kentucky |
| Aday Mara |
UCLA |
| Armando Bacot |
UNC |
| Aziz Bandaogo |
Cincinnati |
| Branden Carlson |
Utah |
| Clifford Omoruyi |
Rutgers |
| Dawson Garcia |
Minnesota |
| Donovan Clingan |
UConn |
| Eric Dixon |
Villanova |
| Hunter Dickinson |
Kansas |
| Jamarian Sharp |
Ole Miss |
| Jesse Edwards |
West Virginia |
| Joel Soriano |
St Johns |
| Johni Broome |
Auburn |
| Jordan Brown |
Memphis |
| Kel'el Ware |
Indiana |
| N'Faly Dante |
Oregon |
| Oumar Ballo |
Arizona |
| Ryan Kalkbrenner |
Creighton |
| Zach Edey |
Purdue |
