Olivier Sarr named to Preseason Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Watchlist

Olivier Sarr is 1 of 20 big men across the country that were named to the preseason watchlist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, an award presented to the nation's best power center.

Sarr is the only player from the Southeastern Conference named to the list, and just one of fifteen upperclassmen considered for this award.

Named after Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, this year's award will be presented at the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show in April. The award is in its seventh year of existence and UK has yet to have a winner named the best center. 

Widely regarded as one of the nation's top transfers, Sarr totaled 664 points, 496 rebounds and 81 blocks with 31 starts in three seasons at Wake Forest.

By mid-February, the watch list will be trimmed to 10 players. Five finalists will be revealed in late February with the winner being announced during the annual ESPN College Basketball Awards show on April 9. Fan voting will be a part of all three rounds of voting before a winner is announced.