Virginia Tech point guard Justin Robinson was named to the Citizen Naismith Trophy Men’s Player of the Year watch list on Monday morning. The list of 50 players was announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
Robinson led the Hokies in scoring last season, averaging 14 points per game while also leading the team with 5.6 rebounds per game. He was named to the All-ACC second team and became the first Virginia Tech player ever to earn Naismith National Player of the Week honors. The senior from Manassas, Va. has become a key leader for the Hokies and is already earning recognition before he begins his final season.
Before being named to the Naismith watch list, Robinson was named to the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award watch list in October. He is one of 20 players from around the country to be named to that list and one of only eight to be named to both lists.
Robinson joins nine other ACC players to be named to the watch list, the most from any one conference in Division I. Fellow ACC school Duke is tied with Kentucky for the most nominees, with each school having three players named to the watch list.
The list of candidates will continue to evolve throughout the season. The Atlanta Tipoff Club will reveal a midseason list of 30 players on Feb. 13, 2019 and will narrow the list down to 10 on March 4, 2019. The four finalists for the award will be named on March 19. The winner will be named on April 7, 2019 at the Naismith Awards Brunch, which takes place during the Final Four.
Robinson will look to make the most out of his senior season as the Hokies return several key pieces of their 2017-18 team. Virginia Tech has made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for just the second time in school history and is poised for a return to the postseason.
Virginia Tech begins the 2018-19 season with a home matchup against Gardner-Webb on Friday Nov. 9.
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