The duo in Spokane are among the Top 30 best college basketball players in the country.
There are two national individual awards to be most aware of in college basketball. The Wooden Award and the Naismith Trophy. Gonzaga point guard Ryan Nembhard was named to the late midseason Top 20 watch list for the Wooden Award but Gonzaga forward Graham Ike wasn’t.
As for the Naismith Trophy, the Gonzaga duo was listed among the Top 30 college basketball players in the country being named to the late midseason watch list.
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Presenting our @jerseymikes Naismith Men’s College Midseason Team #JerseyMikesNaismith2025 pic.twitter.com/JcELRc4ONH
— Naismith Awards (@NaismithTrophy) February 14, 2025
The assists leader in the nation at 9.9 per game is also being nominated for the Bob Cousy Award which is given to the best point guard in the nation. Nembhard now owns the top two single-season assists records in Gonzaga program history (259 and counting in 2024-25, 243 in 2023-24). His 4.30 assist-to-turnover ratio this season is currently second in the country. The 6’0 senior has put together 12 double-doubles as well which is tied for the 11th most in all of college basketball.
Ike is also being nominated for the Karl Malone Award which is given to the best power forward in the nation. The 6’9 senior is leading Gonzaga in scoring with 17.1 points per game (fourth in the West Coast Conference) on a 59.2 field goal percentage (highest in the conference). His 7.1 rebounds per game are the eighth most in the WCC.
The Naismith Trophy will be narrowed down to four finalists in March. No former Zag has ever won this award but a few have come close (Drew Timme in 2022-23, Corey Kispert in 2020-21, Rui Hachimura in 2018-19).
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on Twitter @a_cravalho