SAN DIEGO – San Diego State junior guard Malachi Flynn is one of 40 Division I men's basketball players to be named to the 2020 Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award watch list. The announcement was made from the Boston, Mass., offices of collegeinsider.com on Wednesday.
The Lute Olson Award is presented annually to the nation's top Division I player and is named in honor of Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson who won 776 games in 34 seasons.
The native of Tacoma, Wash., averaged 12.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, while shooting 40.6 percent from the field in two seasons at Washington State.
Flynn sat out last season due to NCAA Transfer rules but was this year was selected a preseason first-team All-Mountain West performer by both CBS Sports Network and Street & Smith Yearbooks. The Mountain West media members selected him to be the MW Newcomer of the Year in its preseason poll and Street & Smith placed him on its MW All-Newcomer Team. Lindy's Sports named Flynn its No. 2 player nationally who sat out the 2018-19 season.
In the team's regular-season opener, a 77-42 victory over Texas Southern, Flynn led the team with 15 points, had five rebounds and five assists, one block and one steal in 25 minutes. He is the first Aztec to be named to the Lute Olson Award watch list.
Past winners of the award include Ja Morant, Murray State (2019), Jalen Brunson, Villanova (2018), Caleb Swanigan, Purdue (2017), Denzel Valentine, Michigan State (2016), Cameron Payne, Murray State (2015), Doug McDermott, Creighton (2014), Shane Larkin, Miami (2013), Doug McDermott (2012), Kemba Walker, Connecticut (2011) and Sherron Collins, Kansas (2010).
The 2019-20 Lute Olson national Player of the Year Award will be announced in April 2020 in Atlanta, Ga., site of the men's Division I NCAA Basketball Championship.
-SDSU-