Gonzaga's Graham Ike named to Karl Malone Award watch list

Graham Ike is expected to return to the hardwood in a big way for the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

After missing all of last season with a foot injury, Ike was named to the Karl Malone Award watch list heading into the 2023-24 season. The 6-foot-9 forward, who transferred to Gonzaga over the offseason, is among the 20 candidates in contention for the nation's top power forward honor.

Ike, the preseason Mountain West Conference Player of the Year going into last season, averaged 19.5 points and 9.6 rebounds as a sophomore on a Cowboys squad that made it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in seven years. He led the conference in 2-point field goals made (238) and ranked in the league's top five for player efficiency rating (25.1). For his efforts, Ike was named to the All-MWC second team.

Ike didn't participate in Gonzaga's Kraziness in the Kennel preseason event in early October out of precaution, as Bulldogs head coach Mark Few iterated at West Coast Conference Media Day that he expects Ike to be ready for the season opener against Yale on Nov. 10.

The big lefty is Gonzaga's third probable starter to earn a spot on a positional watch list. Ryan Nembhard was named to the Bob Cousy Award watch list, awarded to the top point guard in the country, while Anton Watson is in contention for the Julius Erving Award, which goes out to the best small forward. Ike and Nembhard were also preseason All-WCC members.

Gonzaga is guaranteed to face two other players on the Karl Malone watch list, Pepperdine's Jevon Porter and UConn's Alex Karaban. UCLA's Adem Bona, who missed last season's Sweet 16 game against the Zags, could be a potential foe at the Maui Invitational as well as Marquette's Oso Ighodaro.

Here's the complete Karl Malone Award watch list:

Enrique Freeman (Akron)

Grant Nelson (Alabama)

Keshad Johnson (Arizona)

Trevon Brazile (Arkansas)

Foussenyi Traore (BYU)

Tristan da Silva (Colorado)

DaRon Holmes II (Dayton)

Kyle Filipowski (Duke)

Graham Ike (Gonzaga)

J'Wan Roberts (Houston)

Coleman Hawkins (Illinois)

Oso Ighodaro (Marquette)

Julian Reese (Maryland)

Norchad Omier (Miami FL.)

Tolu Smith (Mississippi State)

Jevon Porter (Pepperdine)

Bryce Hopkins (Providence)

Adem Bona (UCLA)

Alex Karaban (UConn)

Drew Pember (UNC Asheville)