LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas senior Keanu Dawes has been named to the 20-member Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today.
The annual Karl Malone Award, named after the Class of 2010 Hall of Famer and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, celebrates its 13th year by recognizing the top power forward in NCAA Division I men’s college basketball.
A native of Houston, Dawes is competing as a senior at Kansas in 2026-27 after transferring from Utah last summer. Last season, Dawes started all 32 games and averaged 12.5 points per game while leading the Utes with 8.8 rebounds per game. His rebounding total ranked fourth in the Big 12, and he posted 11 double-doubles on the season including 22 points and 12 rebounds at then-No. 11 Kansas on Feb. 7.
For his career, Dawes, has played in 95 games with 57 starts and he comes to Kansas with 868 points, 612 rebounds, 65 threes made, 128 assists, 60 steals and 40 blocked shots.
Fans can support their favorite player by participating in Fan Voting starting Friday, October 30. In February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2027 Karl Malone Award will be narrowed to 10, then to five in March. In late March, the five finalists will be presented to Malone and the Hall of Fame’s selection committees, where winners will be selected. The selection committee for the Karl Malone Award is composed of top college basketball personnel, media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers.
The winner of the 2027 Karl Malone Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the other four members of the Men’s and Women’s Starting Five. Those awards being presented include the Bob Cousy and Nancy Lieberman Awards (Point Guard), Jerry West and Ann Meyers Drysdale Awards (Shooting Guard), Julius Erving and Cheryl Miller (Small Forward), Karl Malone and Katrina McClain Awards (Power Forward), and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lisa Leslie Awards (Center).
Kansas will open the 2026-27 regular season on Monday, November 2, against the Fordham Rams. Tipoff from Allen Fieldhouse is set for 7 p.m. CT, and the game can be seen on ESPN+.
2026-27 Karl Malone Candidates (listed alphabetically by school)
Paulius Murauskas - Arizona State
Miikka Muurinen - Arkansas
Jaxon Kohler - BYU
Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje - Duke
Alex Condon - Florida
Braden Huff - Gonzaga
Joseph Tugler - Houston
David Mirkovic - Illinois
Aiden Sherrell - Indiana
KEANU DAWES - KANSAS
Malik Reneau - Miami
J.P. Estrella - Michigan
Jaylen Crocker-Johnson - Minnesota
Caden Pierce - Purdue
Keyshawn Hall - St. John’s
Xavier Edmonds - TCU
David Punch - Texas
JT Toppin - Texas Tech
Na’jai Hines - UCONN