Kris Murray Named to Malone Watch List

Iowa Junior in Running for Nation's Top Power Forward Honor

Iowa's Kris Murray (24) is fouled by Purdue's Zach Edey while going up for a dunk on Jan. 27, 2022 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. (Rob Howe/HawkeyeNation.com)

IOWA CITY, Iowa - University of Iowa men’s basketball junior forward Kris Murray is one of 20 student-athletes named to the 2023 Karl Malone Award Preseason Watch List. The announcement was made on Thursday by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Murray’s twin brother, Keegan Murray, was the recipient of the 2022 Karl Malone Award, becoming the first Big Ten player to earn the distinction that recognizes the top power forward in Division I college basketball. Named after Class of 2010 Hall of Famer and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Karl Malone, the annual honor is in its ninth year.

Kris Murray was Iowa’s leading scorer (9.7) and rebounder (4.3) off the bench last season. He improved his scoring average by 9.1 points and rebounding average by 3.7 per outing. The native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was second on the team in 3-point percentage (.397), blocks per game (0.9) and field goals made (124), third in offensive (1.6) and defensive (2.7) rebounds per contest, and fourth in steals (0.8) per game. His 31 blocks and 43 triples rank seventh and eighth, respectively, by a Hawkeye sophomore. He shared the team’s Most Improved Player Award with classmate Tony Perkins.

Murray (6-foot-8, 220 pounds) is one of three Big Ten players named to the watch list, joining Trayce Jackson-Davis of Indiana and Maryland’s Donta Scott. Gonzaga All-American Drew Timme, who won the award in 2021, is also a candidate for the 2023 honor.

The list will be narrowed down to 10 in late-January and then five finalists will be selected in late-February that will be presented to Karl Malone and the selection committee.