Two SEC Players Named Finalists For The Naismith Trophy

by Staff Reporter

March 25, 20250 Comments

Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

On Tuesday, four finalists were announced for the 2025 Naismith Trophy, which is awarded to the nation’s top player in college basketball.

Two of the four players hailed from the SEC: Auburn senior center Johni Broome and Florida senior guard Walter Clayton, Jr.

The other two finalists were Duke freshman forward Cooper Flagg and Purdue junior guard Braden Smith.

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About the Jersey Mike’s Naismith Men’s Player of the Year Finalists:

Johni Broome, Auburn

-Named the SEC Player of the Year, joining Charles Barkley (1984) and Chris Porter (1999) as the only Tigers to earn this award.

-He is the only player in NCAA Division I men’s basketball history to record 2,500 points, 1,500 rebounds and 400 blocks in his career.

-Averaging 18.7 points and 10.6 rebounds per game on the season and has registered a school-record 19 double-doubles.

-First among active D1 players with 414 blocks and is among the Top 20 in the nation this season, averaging over two per game.

Walter Clayton, Jr., Florida

-He was named the MVP of the SEC Tournament as he averaged 20.7 points and 4.7 assists per game to lead the Gators to the championship for the first time since 2014.

-First team All-SEC selection.

-His 625 points this season are sixth on Florida’s single-season scoring list.

-He has made 106 3-pointers in 2024-25, the fifth-most in school history.

-One of only two players in Florida history to register 600 or more points in consecutive seasons (Neal Walk, 1968 and 1969).

-He has 2,029 career points and is one of five four-year players in college basketball this season who amassed 2,000 points for their careers. Clayton, who’s tallied 1,235 as a Gator (the rest in his two seasons at Iona), is joined on that list by Erik Reynolds II (Saint Joseph’s), Zeke Mayo (South Dakota State/Kansas), Wade Taylor IV (Texas A&M) and Kam Jones (Marquette).