Kansas senior Keanu Dawes has been named to the 20-member Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year preseason watch list, according to an October 29 statement from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The annual Karl Malone Award is in its 13th year and recognizes the top power forward in NCAA Division I men's college basketball.
Dawes, a native of Houston, is competing as a senior at Kansas for the 2026-27 season after transferring from Utah last summer.
During the previous season, Dawes started all 32 games and averaged 12.5 points per game. He led the Utes with 8.8 rebounds per game, a total that ranked fourth in the Big 12. He also recorded 11 double-doubles, including a performance of 22 points and 12 rebounds against Kansas on Feb. 7.
In his career, Dawes has played in 95 games with 57 starts. He enters the season with career totals of 868 points, 612 rebounds, 65 three-pointers made, 128 assists, 60 steals, and 40 blocked shots.
The Karl Malone Award is named after the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player and Class of 2010 Hall of Famer. The selection committee for the award includes head coaches, media members, Hall of Famers, sports information directors, and top college basketball personnel.
Fans can participate in fan voting for the award starting Friday, October 30. The preseason watch list will be narrowed to 10 players in February and five players in March before the finalists are presented to the selection committees in late March.
Kansas is scheduled to open the 2026-27 regular season on Monday, November 2, against the Fordham Rams. The game will take place at Allen Fieldhouse with a tipoff set for 7 p.m. CT.
