Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren named one of four finalists for Naismith Defensive Player of Year

Gonzaga’s young defensive anchor has a chance to pick up another national award as the 2021-22 college basketball season winds down.

Chet Holmgren was named one of four finalists for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Tuesday, two days before the freshman and top-seeded Gonzaga take on 16th-seeded Georgia State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The three other finalists are Auburn’s Walker Kessler, Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe and Duke’s Mark Williams.

Entering the postseason, Holmgren has an opportunity to break or match Gonzaga’s single-season record for blocked shots, sitting at 104 and needing 13 to tie the mark set by Brandon Clarke, now of the Memphis Grizzlies.

The 7-footer from Minneapolis tied the West Coast Conference record set by Hondre Brewer in 2002, averaging 3.7 blocks in conference games and is fourth in the nation in total blocks and overall blocks per game (3.59). His 104 blocks are the third most in a single season in WCC history.

In less than a full season, Holmgren has climbed up to sixth for most blocks in a career in program history. He has more blocks (104) than missed shots from the field (98) and leads the conference grabbing 9.6 rebounds per game, which is 22nd in the country.

Holmgren is eight in the nation, hauling down 7.93 defensive boards per outing, and he’s ninth in the WCC, averaging 14.2 points per game. He’s ninth in the country shooting 61% from the field, leading the WCC in that category, and he’s fourth in the nation making 73.4% of his shots inside the arc.

A projected NBA lottery pick, Holmgren has earned other accolades this season, being named WCC Newcomer and Defensive Player of the Year. He’s also a finalist for the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award.