ATLANTA (November 19, 2020) – The Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today the 2021 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Watch List, which includes the 2020 Jersey Mike’s Naismith High School Trophy winner, Cade Cunningham, now a freshman at Oklahoma State University, the 2020 Naismith Men’s Defensive Player of the Year winner, Marcus Garrett from Kansas, and Iowa’s Luka Garza, who was a finalist for the 2020 Men’s Player of the Year honor. Gonzaga leads the 50-player watch list with four players included on the list, followed by Duke, which has won more Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophies (8) than any other school. Seven schools have two players represented include Baylor, Illinois, Kentucky, LSU, North Carolina, Stanford and Villanova. Overall, the ACC and Big Ten top the list, each with eight players represented, while the Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC are close runners-up with six candidates on the watch list.
“The beginning of the season is filled with excitement, optimism and anticipation as each team and every player is undefeated, making the race for the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy wide open. While these 50 candidates are those to keep an eye on, there will be plenty of others who will enter the competition throughout the season,” said Eric Oberman, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. “This year will be especially exciting as players who were unable to finish their seasons last year have even more to prove.”
A list of the midseason 30 team will be released in early February, followed by the 10 national semifinalists and four finalists on March 4, 2021, and March 16, 2021, respectively. Players who do not make the watch list are still eligible to be selected for the midseason 30 team. The 2021 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy will be awarded during the Final Four at the Naismith Awards Brunch on April 4, 2021.
“As we sponsor the collegiate honor for the first year, Jersey Mike’s is excited to partner with the Naismith Trophy,” said Rich Hope, chief marketing officer, Jersey Mike’s Franchise Systems, Inc. “We look forward to following these stellar athletes throughout the season and honoring one of these talented players as the winner of the 2021 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy.”
2021 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Men’s Preseason Watch List
| NAME | CLASS | POSITION | SCHOOL | CONFERENCE |
| Joel Ayayi | Jr. | G | Gonzaga | WCC |
| Scottie Barnes | Fr. | G | Florida State | ACC |
| Charles Bassey | Jr. | C | Western Kentucky | C-USA |
| B.J. Boston | Fr. | F | Kentucky | SEC |
| James Bouknight | So. | G | UConn | BIG EAST |
| Garrison Brooks | Sr. | F | North Carolina | ACC |
| Greg Brown | Fr. | F | Texas | Big 12 |
| Jared Butler | Jr. | G | Baylor | Big 12 |
| Marcus Carr | Jr. | G | Minnesota | Big Ten |
| Terrence Clarke | Fr. | G | Kentucky | SEC |
| Kofi Cockburn | So. | C | Illinois | Big Ten |
| Jalen Crutcher | Sr. | G | Dayton | A-10 |
| Cade Cunningham | Fr. | G | Oklahoma State | Big 12 |
| Oscar da Silva | Sr. | F | Stanford | Pac-12 |
| Ayo Dosunmu | Jr. | G | Illinois | Big Ten |
| Marcus Garrett | Sr. | G | Kansas | Big 12 |
| Luka Garza | Sr. | C | Iowa | Big Ten |
| Collin Gillespie | Sr. | G | Villanova | BIG EAST |
| Kellan Grady | Sr. | G | Davidson | A-10 |
| A.J. Green | Jr. | G | Northern Iowa | MVC |
| Sam Hauser | Sr. | F | Virginia | ACC |
| Aaron Henry | Jr. | F | Michigan State | Big Ten |
| Matthew Hurt | So. | F | Duke | ACC |
| Trayce Jackson-Davis | So. | F | Indiana | Big Ten |
| Jalen Johnson | Fr. | F | Duke | ACC |
| Keyontae Johnson | Jr. | F | Florida | SEC |
| David Johnson | So. | G | Louisville | ACC |
| Corey Kispert | Sr. | F | Gonzaga | WCC |
| Isaiah Livers | Sr. | F | Michigan | Big Ten |
| Caleb Love | Fr. | G | North Carolina | ACC |
| Sandro Mamukelashvili | Sr. | F | Seton Hall | BIG EAST |
| Remy Martin | Sr. | G | Arizona State | Pac-12 |
| Caleb Mills | So. | G | Houston | AAC |
| Evan Mobley | Fr. | F | USC | Pac-12 |
| Wendell Moore Jr. | So. | F | Duke | ACC |
| Yves Pons | Sr. | G | Tennessee | SEC |
| Jeremiah Robinson-Earl | So. | F | Villanova | BIG EAST |
| Colbey Ross | Sr. | G | Pepperdine | WCC |
| Fatts Russell | Sr. | G | Rhode Island | A-10 |
| Javonte Smart | Jr. | G | LSU | SEC |
| Chris Smith | Sr. | G | UCLA | Pac-12 |
| Jalen Suggs | Fr. | G | Gonzaga | WCC |
| MaCio Teague | Sr. | G | Baylor | Big 12 |
| Drew Timme | So. | F | Gonzaga | WCC |
| Oscar Tshiebwe | So. | F | West Virginia | Big 12 |
| Trendon Watford | So. | F | LSU | SEC |
| Trevion Williams | Jr. | F | Purdue | Big Ten |
| Ziaire Williams | Fr. | F | Stanford | Pac-12 |
| McKinley Wright IV | Sr. | G | Colorado | Pac-12 |
| Marcus Zegarowski | Jr. | G | Creighton | BIG EAST |
