A pair of Florida Gators basketball players have been named to 2012-13 Naismith Award early season watch list.
Senior guard Kenny Boynton and junior center Patric Young made the list, which includes 50 players and was announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
The Gators are 1-0 after defeating Alabama State 84-35 at the O’Connell Center on Sunday. They are one of 10 teams with at least two players on the watch list.
Defending national champion Kentucky and Louisville, which eliminated the Gators in the Elite Eight last season, each have three players on the watch list.
A mid-season watch list comprised of 30 players will be announced in late February and the list will be trimmed to four finalists in March. The winner will be announced during the Naismith Award Banquet, which is scheduled for 6 p.m. on March 19 at the Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta.
The award began honoring the top men’s college basketball player in 1969 with UCLA’s Lew Alcindor, aka Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, becoming the first winner. Last season’s winner was Anthony Roberson of Kentucky. No Florida player has even won the award.