COLLEGE PARK, MD – For the second straight season, Maryland men's basketball senior Donta Scott has been selected to the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Watch List as one of the top 20 at the position in the country. Of the 20 players on the initial watch list, Scott is one of three Big Ten players selected.
 
Scott, who was ranked as the No. 49 overall player nationally last season, is the top returning scorer for the Terps after averaging 12.6 points per game last year. He also posted a team-best and career-best 6.2 rebounds per game.
 
The Philadelphia native enters the season having played in 94 career games, including 79 starts, with 926 total points (9.9 per game) and 493 rebounds (5.2 per game).

Last season, Scott was the first Terrapin to be named to the Malone Award preseason watch list since Jalen Smith in 2019-20. The award was introduced in the 2014-15 season where former Terp Jake Layman was a member of the inaugural watch list.
 
Named after Class of 2010 Hall of Famer and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Karl Malone, the annual honor in its ninth year recognizes the top power forwards in Division I men's college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates. 
 
"The Basketball Hall of Fame is proud to annually recognize the best power forwards in the collegiate game with the Karl Malone Award, which bears the name of one of the greatest players of all time," said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. "To be named to the watchlist of the Karl Malone Award is a great honor and I know he values the opportunity to watch these players compete throughout the season. We are honored to have his unique perspective in our evaluation each year."
 
2023 Karl Malone Award Candidates* 

Enrique Freeman	Akron	Kris Murray	Iowa
Ąžuolas Tubelis	Arizona	KJ Williams	LSU
Johni Broome	Auburn	Donta Scott	Maryland
Arthur Kaluma	Creighton	DeAndre Williams	Memphis
DaRon Holmes II	Dayton	Norchad Omier	Miami (Fl.)
Kyle Filipowski	Duke	Pete Nance	North Carolina
Jalen Slawson	Furman	GG Jackson	South Carolina
Drew Timme	Gonzaga	Jayden Gardner	Virginia
Jarace Walker	Houston	Justyn Mutts	Virginia Tech
Trayce Jackson-Davis	Indiana	Graham Ike	Wyoming

 
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2022-2023 season.
 
Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds beginning Friday, October 28. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2022 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award will be narrowed to 10 and then in late February to just five. In March the five finalists will be presented to Malone and the Hall of Fame's selection committee where a winner will be selected. 
 
The winner of the 2023 Karl Malone Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Men's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Award (Point Guard), Jerry West Award (Shooting Guard), Julius Erving Award (Small Forward) and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (Center), in addition to the Women's Starting Five.
 
Previous winners of the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award include Keegan Murray, Iowa (2022), Drew Timme, Gonzaga (2021), Obi Toppin, Dayton (2020), Zion Williamson, Duke (2019), Deandre Ayton, Arizona (2018), Johnathan Motley, Baylor (2017), Georges Niang, Iowa State (2016) and Montrezl Harrell, Louisville (2015). 
 
For more information on the 2023 Karl Malone Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #MaloneAward on Twitter and Instagram.