PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Caleb McConnell thought he had a media interview in the film room of the Rutgers men's basketball team facility on Monday.
When he walked in the room, he saw head coach
Steve Pikiell, sitting in the front row and pointing at the television monitor.
Pikiell smiled, clapped, and celebrated to his most beloved defender.
"We have a little announcement here," Pikiell laughed.
McConnell smiled as he was surprised by a Zoom call with about 15 members of his family on the screen. McConnell's family spreading from his father, Bryant McConnell in Jacksonville, Fl. to his mother, Stefanie Kerlin in Geneva, Ohio shared with him another national defensive award that has been added to his resume.
"Caleb, from your family, friends and all of Rutgers we just want to share that you have been awarded the 2023 Lefty Driesell Award, for the best defender in the nation," said Stefanie Kerlin, McConnell's mother. "You are known for the most tenacious defense, and this is awarded to you this year on behalf of the coaches and media. They chose you over many players to be the National Defensive Player of the Year!"
"It's definitely crazy man," McConnell said. "I am humbled, but it feels good to win this award. I appreciate you guys. I appreciate this award it means a lot to me. It's an honor and I'm just excited. Thank you, Coach Pike!"
"There were a lot of excellent defenders in college basketball this season, but
Caleb McConnell was a cut above the rest," said Angela Lento, Vice President of CollegeInsider.com. "His ability to guard all five spots on the floor was second to none. It was never a very pleasurable experience, for the top scorer on the other team, when
Caleb McConnell was on the floor. His ability to defend will find him a home in the NBA."
McConnell is the first player in Rutgers history to win the Lefty Driesell Award and has become the first RU player to win a national defensive player of the year award twice this season.
The Lefty Driesell Award is given annually to the top defensive player in Division I basketball, is named in honor of the legendary former coach. McConnell will be officially announced as the recipient of the 2023 award at the men's NCAA Basketball Championship.
McConnell will add this award to his showcase of accolades this season, as he also beat out all the defenders in the nation for the 2022-23 ESPN College Gameday National Defensive Player of the Year Award earlier this month.
McConnell was awarded the best defensive player in the Big Ten Conference with his consecutive Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Award alongside Northwestern's Chase Audige. McConnell was of course also nominated to the Big Ten's First Team for defense for the second-straight year.
McConnell is a top-4 finalist for the 2022-23 Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year Award. McConnell was selected as a semifinalist for the award last season, recognizing the top 10 defenders in the nation during the first week of March.
McConnell was chosen as a member of the watch list for the Julius Erving Award this preseason, given to the best small forward in the country. The Erving Award named the top 20 small forwards in the country in the preseason.
McConnell missed the first five games of the season with a knee injury but returned right back to form averaging 9.1 points. 5.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists-per-game. McConnell is averaged 2.5 steals-per-game with 71 steals, good for second in the conference. His 2.56 steals-per-game are good for sixth in the nation and first in the Big Ten Conference.
McConnell was the anchor of the top defensive team in the Big Ten and the seventh best in the nation, as Rutgers has allowed 60.4 points-per-game. The 2022-23 Rutgers defense was the best in the shot-clock era and the best at RU since 1981. McConnell guards each team's top scorer and held them to some of their lowest scoring outputs of the season.
McConnell finished his career first all-time on the Rutgers steals list (221) after tracking down the great Eddie Jordan's 220 career steals with two steals in his final game at RU.
The 6-foot-7 wing will compete in the 2023 NABC Reese's Senior All Star game on Friday at NRG Stadium in Houston, the site of the Final Four before he begins his pursuit for a professional career in basketball.
About Lefty Driesell
Lefty Driesell won 786 games in 41 years at Davidson, Maryland, James Madison, and Georgia State. He ranks eighth on the NCAA career Division I coaches victories list and his teams at each stop were known for playing tenacious defense. From 1969-1986 at Maryland, his teams posted a 348-159 record, won two Atlantic Coast Conference regular season titles and one tournament title.
Driesell also led Davidson, Georgia State and James Madison to the NCAA tournament, making him one of three coaches to reach the NCAAs with four different programs. His teams won a total of 16 regular season championships and six tournament championships.
