Holmes, the highest-ranked recruit to pick Dayton this century and the Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Year as a freshman, scored 13 points in Dayton’s season-opening 73-46 victory against Lindenwood University on Nov. 7 and had 20 points and five blocked shots Friday in a 74-62 victory against Southern Methodist. The No. 21 Flyers (2-0) play at UNLV at 11 p.m. Tuesday.
Dayton forward Obi Toppin won the Wooden Award and all the other major national awards as a redshirt sophomore in his second season on the court in 2019-20.
Holmes is the only player from the Atlantic 10 Conference on the list this season. Among the top contenders are: 2022 Wooden Award Winner Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky); two-time All American Drew Timme (Gonzaga); and 2021 All-American Hunter Dickinson (Michigan).
The list will be narrowed at midseason and again late in the season before being cut to 15 names prior to the NCAA tournament. The All-American team will be announced during the Elite Eight round of the tournament in March, and the Wooden Award winner will be announced in April at a ceremony in Los Angeles.
Holmes is also on the watch list for the Karl Malone Award, which goes to the nation’s best power forward.
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