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Gonzaga Star Named Finalist for Award Given to Best Player in College Basketball

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Andy Patton | Last updated Mar 14, 2025 2:21 PM ET

Gonzaga point guard Ryan Nembhard was named one of 30 finalists for the Lute Olson Award, given annually to the top player in college basketball by collegeinsider.com.

Nembhard is having one of the most prolific passing seasons in college basketball history, amassing 325 assists on the year - the tenth most all-time. He shattered his previous record for the most assists in a single season in Gonzaga history and broke the WCC record of 284 during the final week of the regular season.

All told the senior point guard is averaging 10.8 points, 9.8 assists, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game while shooting a career-high 39.3% from beyond the arc for the 25-8 Zags, who clinched a spot in the NCAA Tournament with a WCC championship win over Saint Mary's on Tuesday.

Nembhard was named to the All-WCC first team for the second year in a row, but was snubbed as a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award as the top point guard in college basketball, despite overwhelmingly leading the nation in assists and assists per game.

WCC Player of the Year Augustas Marciulionis is lone other WCC player on the list of Lute Olson finalists, a list that also includes Cooper Flagg (Duke), Johni Broome (Auburn) Braden Smith (Purdue), Alex Karaban (UConn), and Mark Sears (Alabama).

The winner will be announced in San Antonio at the Final Four.

Below is a full list of the finalists:

Johni Broome, Auburn

Walter Clayton Jr., Florida

LJ Cryer, Houston

Donovan Dent, New Mexico

Hunter Dickinson, Kansas

Eric Dixon, Villanova

Cooper Flagg, Duke

PJ Haggerty, Memphis

Chucky Hepburn, Louisville

Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois