After a breakout freshman season, sophomore James Bouknight was one of 50 players named to the 2021 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Watch List. The Naismith Trophy is given out to the best college basketball player each season.
There were five players in the Big East named to the watch list, including Bouknight. Villanova had the most of any other Big East school with Collin Gillespie and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. Creighton’s Marcus Zegarowski and Seton Hall’s Sandro Mamukelashvili also made the watchlist.