SAN DIEGO – San Diego State sophomore Magoon Gwath has been named to the Preseason Top 20 Watch List for the 2026 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Friday. Gwath, the first Aztec to be included on the Abdul-Jabbar Preseason Watch List, is one of 20 players who are in contention for the annual honor named after the Hall of Famer, six-time NBA champion and 19-time NBA All-Star.
Gwath is a 7-0 wing who can score from three levels, as well as being a rim protector on the defensive end. Last season, he was the only player in the nation who stood at least 7-foot, blocked at least 68 shots and shot at least 37.8 percent from beyond the arc. Despite missing all but two minutes of the final five regular-season games and the Mountain West Tournament, his 68 blocks were 18 more than the No. 2 shot blocker in the league and ranked No. 17 in the nation. In addition, his 2.62 blocks per game were No. 6 in the nation and no freshman had a higher average than Gwath.
At Nevada last season, the Euless, Texas, native went 7-of-7 from the field, including 1-of-1 from beyond the arc, for a game-high 15 points and career and game-high 13 rebounds. His rebound total are the most by an Aztec freshman since Jalen McDaniels grabbed as many on February 3, 2018, against Air Force and he became the first Aztec since the 1997-98 season to record a double-double shooting 1.000 percent from the floor since Roy Kruiswyk (6-of-6) in a 13 point/10 rebound double-double against SMU on January 15, 1998. Gwath is the 12th player in Mountain West history to have a double-double with a perfect shooting night, minimum of seven field goal attempts, but if you include his successful 3-pointer, he is the only player in league history to accomplish the feat.
Gwath shattered the program freshman record for blocked shots (51), previously held by Skylar Spencer, and did it in just 21 games compared to the 34 games it took Spencer to set the mark.
Among Mountain West players, he was No. 1 in blocks, No. 9 in offensive rebounds and No. 12 in rebounding. Nationally, he ranked No. 6 in blocks per game and No. 17 in total blocks, as previously mentioned.
Gwath was recently named a Preseason All-Mountain West performer and is the reigning Mountain West Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year, just the second time in Mountain West history that a player garnered both awards in the same season. In addition, he was honorable-mention All-Mountain West, a Mountain West All-Defensive Team selection, and his three league Freshman of the Week honors are the most by an Aztec in a season, since the distinction was instituted by the league for the 2021-22 season.
The Aztecs host Long Beach State in the regular-season opener on Tuesday, November 4 at 7 p.m. PT at Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena.