2021 JERSEY MIKE’S NAISMITH TROPHY WATCH LIST HEADLINED BY TWO FORMER AWARD WINNERS AND ONE 2020 FINALIST New Season Tips Off with 50 Players to Watch Competing for the Top Honor in Men’s College Basketball ATLANTA (November 19, 2020) – The Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today the 2021 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Watch List, which includes the 2020 Jersey Mike’s Naismith High School Trophy winner, Cade Cunningham, now a freshman at Oklahoma State University, the 2020 Naismith Men’s Defensive Player of the Year winner, Marcus Garrett from Kansas, and Iowa’s Luka Garza, who was a finalist for the 2020 Men’s Player of the Year honor. Gonzaga leads the 50-player watch list with four players included on the list, followed by Duke, which has won more Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophies (8) than any other school. Seven schools have two players represented include Baylor, Illinois, Kentucky, LSU, North Carolina, Stanford and Villanova. Overall, the ACC and Big Ten top the list, each with eight players represented, while the Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC are close runners-up with six candidates on the watch list. “The beginning of the season is filled with excitement, optimism and anticipation as each team and every player is undefeated, making the race for the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy wide open. While these 50 candidates are those to keep an eye on, there will be plenty of others who will enter the competition throughout the season,” said Eric Oberman, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. “This year will be especially exciting as players who were unable to finish their seasons last year have even more to prove.” A list of the midseason 30 team will be released in early February, followed by the 10 national semifinalists and four finalists on March 4, 2021, and March 16, 2021, respectively. Players who do not make the watch list are still eligible to be selected for the midseason 30 team. The 2021 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy will be awarded during the Final Four at the Naismith Awards Brunch on April 4, 2021. “As we sponsor the collegiate honor for the first year, Jersey Mike’s is excited to partner with the Naismith Trophy,” said Rich Hope, chief marketing officer, Jersey Mike’s Franchise Systems, Inc. “We look forward to following these stellar athletes throughout the season and honoring one of these talented players as the winner of the 2021 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy.” 2021 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Men’s Preseason Watch List NAME CLASS POSITION SCHOOL CONFERENCE Joel Ayayi Jr. G Gonzaga WCC Scottie Barnes Fr. G Florida State ACC Charles Bassey Jr. C Western Kentucky C-USA B.J. Boston Fr. F Kentucky SEC James Bouknight So. G UConn BIG EAST Garrison Brooks Sr. F North Carolina ACC Greg Brown Fr. F Texas Big 12 NAME CLASS POSITION SCHOOL CONFERENCE Jared Butler Jr. G Baylor Big 12 Marcus Carr Jr. G Minnesota Big Ten Terrence Clarke Fr. G Kentucky SEC Kofi Cockburn So. C Illinois Big Ten Jalen Crutcher Sr. G Dayton A-10 Cade Cunningham Fr. G Oklahoma State Big 12 Oscar da Silva Sr. F Stanford Pac-12 Ayo Dosunmu Jr. G Illinois Big Ten Marcus Garrett Sr. G Kansas Big 12 Luka Garza Sr. C Iowa Big Ten Collin Gillespie Sr. G Villanova BIG EAST Kellan Grady Sr. G Davidson A-10 A.J. Green Jr. G Northern Iowa MVC Sam Hauser Sr. F Virginia ACC Aaron Henry Jr. F Michigan State Big Ten Matthew Hurt So. F Duke ACC Trayce Jackson-Davis So. F Indiana Big Ten Jalen Johnson Fr. F Duke ACC Keyontae Johnson Jr. F Florida SEC David Johnson So. G Louisville ACC Corey Kispert Sr. F Gonzaga WCC Isaiah Livers Sr. F Michigan Big Ten Caleb Love Fr. G North Carolina ACC Sandro Mamukelashvili Sr. F Seton Hall BIG EAST Remy Martin Sr. G Arizona State Pac-12 Caleb Mills So. G Houston AAC Evan Mobley Fr. F USC Pac-12 Wendell Moore Jr. So. F Duke ACC Yves Pons Sr. G Tennessee SEC Jeremiah Robinson-Earl So. F Villanova BIG EAST Colbey Ross Sr. G Pepperdine WCC Fatts Russell Sr. G Rhode Island A-10 Javonte Smart Jr. G LSU SEC Chris Smith Sr. G UCLA Pac-12 Jalen Suggs Fr. G Gonzaga WCC MaCio Teague Sr. G Baylor Big 12 Drew Timme So. F Gonzaga WCC Oscar Tshiebwe So. F West Virginia Big 12 Trendon Watford So. F LSU SEC Trevion Williams Jr. F Purdue Big Ten Ziaire Williams Fr. F Stanford Pac-12 McKinley Wright IV Sr. G Colorado Pac-12 Marcus Zegarowski Jr. G Creighton BIG EAST ABOUT THE ATLANTA TIPOFF CLUB Founded during the 1956-57 season, the Atlanta Tipoff Club is committed to promoting the game of basketball and recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of those who make the game so exciting. The Atlanta Tipoff Club administers the Naismith Awards, the most prestigious national honors in all of college and high school basketball. Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, inventor of the game of basketball, the family of Naismith Awards annually recognizes the most outstanding men’s and women’s college and high school basketball players and coaches. Other Naismith Awards are presented to the men’s and women’s college basketball defensive players of the year, as well as lifetime achievement awards to basketball officials and outstanding contributors to the game. UCLA’s Lew Alcindor received the first Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy in 1969, while the late Anne Donovan (Old Dominion) was the inaugural women’s recipient in 1983. Corporate partners of the Naismith Awards include Jersey Mike’s and Werner Ladder. ABOUT JERSEY MIKE’S SUBS Jersey Mike’s Subs, with more than 2,500 locations open and under development nationwide, serves authentic fresh sliced/fresh grilled subs on in-store freshly baked bread — the same recipe it started with in 1956. Passion for giving in Jersey Mike’s local communities is reflective in its mission statement “Giving…making a difference in someone’s life.” For more information, please visit jerseymikes.com or follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/jerseymikes), Instagram (instagram.com/jerseymikes), and Twitter (twitter.com/jerseymikes.com). ### Media Contact: Traci Messier Jackson Spalding for the Atlanta Tipoff Club [email protected] 706-816-6022 .