ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – UNM forward JT Toppin is about to get recognized for his stellar freshman season. It was announced Wednesday that Toppin is one of 30 freshmen to be selected as a finalist for the Kyle Massey National Freshman of the Year Award.
In his first season as a Lobo, Toppin averaged 12.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Toppin was also very efficient in his shooting as he recorded a 62.26 field goal percentage that ranked 13th nationally (regardless of age), first in the Mountain West and top 20 in NCAA history by a freshman. His 12 double-doubles this season were the most by any freshman in the country.
Toppin was previously named co-Mountain West Freshman of the Year. He led the conference in rebounding and blocks (68). He was also named second-team All-Mountain West.
The 2023-2024 Kyle Massey Award will be announced next week during the Final Four in Phoenix. The award is selected by a ten-member voting committee comprised of current and former head coaches as well as senior staff members of collegeinsider.com.
The list of finalists includes,
Xavier Amos – Northern Illinois
Jocelyn Bodo Bodo – High Point
Xzayvier Brown – St. Joseph’s
Marcus Burton – Notre Dame
Elliot Cadeau – North Carolina
Carlton Carrington – Pittsburgh
Stephen Castle – Connecticut
Isaiah Collier – USC
Rob Dillingham – Kentucky
David Douglas Jr. – Green Bay
PJ Haggerty – Tulsa
Barrington Hargres – UC Riverside
Josh Hubbard – Mississippi State
Malik Mac – Harvard
Sebastian Mack – UCLA
Jared McCain – Duke
Baye Ndongo – Georgia Tech
Kevin Overton – Drake
Josh Pascarelli – Marist
Miles Rice – Washington State
Cooper Schweiger – Valparaiso
Jackson Shellstad – Oregon
Reed Shepard – Kentucky
Javan Simmons – Toledo
Daywick Tavarez – State of Delaware
Dedan Thomas Jr. – UNLV
JT Toppin – New Mexico
DJ Wagner – Kentucky
Ja’Kobe Walter – Baylor
Cody Williams – Colorado
