Gonzaga’s Killian Tillie makes watch lists for two player of the year awards

Gonzaga’s Killian Tillie was named to watch lists for the Naismith Trophy and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Player of the Year awards on Monday.

Tillie, who is working his way back from knee surgery just over a month ago, was limited to 15 games last season because of injuries. The 6-foot-10 senior forward from France averaged 12.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists as a sophomore.

Tillie, BYU’s Yoeli Childs and Saint Mary’s Jordan Ford represent the WCC on the 50-player Naismith Trophy watch list.

The Zags have dates against several teams with players on the Naismith watch list, including Arizona’s Nico Mannion, North Carolina’s Cole Anthony and Washington’s Isaiah Stewart. GU also will face Seton Hall’s Myles Powell or Oregon’s Payton Pritchard in the second round of the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas.

Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman of Michigan State, which lost to Gonzaga 103-87 in a recent scrimmage, also made the list. The SEC leads the way with nine nominees.

The 20-player NABC watch list includes Anthony, Stewart, Powell and Winston.