Bryce Hopkins Tabbed to Karl Malone of the Year Award Top 20 Preseason Watch List

QUEENS, N.Y. – St. John's graduate student Bryce Hopkins was named to the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award Top 20 Preseason Watch List on Thursday.

Hopkins becomes the first St. John's player to ever earn a spot of the preseason watch list for the top power forward in college basketball. The honor was established in 2015 and is presented by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Providence transfer is one of two players from the BIG EAST to land on the list joined by Alex Karaban of Connecticut.

Hopkins was also tabbed to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team for the third consecutive year it was announced at the league's media day at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 21.

The Oak Park Ill., native arrives in Queens after three seasons in the BIG EAST with Providence from 2022-25. While in Friartown, he averaged 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game while starting in all 50 appearances. Hopkins joined St. John's this summer as the No. 12 ranked recruit out of the transfer portal, according to ESPN.

Hopkins was limited in each of his last two seasons with the Friars due to injuries. In 2024-25, the forward was named to the Wooden Award Watch List and played in three games averaging 17.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. The year prior, the three-time BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll selection tallied 12 double-figure scoring efforts and five double-doubles in just 14 games. He averaged 15.5 points and a career-best 8.6 boards per game during the 2023-24 campaign.

During his first year at Providence in 2022-23, Hopkins burst onto the scene and was a finalist for the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award. The sophomore racked up 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per contests while guiding the Friars to an NCAA Tournament appearance. The two-time BIG EAST Player of the Week logged 10 double-doubles, 28 double-digit scoring outings and nine 20-plus point performances. Hopkins was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team at the conclusion of the regular season.

Hopkins began his collegiate career at Kentucky in 2021-22. While in Lexington, he played in 28 games coming off the bench, recording 2.1 points and 1.4 rebounds per game as a rookie. The freshmen was a part of a Kentucky team that posted 28 wins and earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Hopkins was a consensus four-star top-50 prospect out Fenwick High School He was rated the No. 33 recruit in the ESPN Top-100 and averaged 24.4 points, 12.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game during his senior year of high school.

Hopkins joins a Red Storm team that earned its highest preseason ranking in both the Associated Press (No. 5) and USA TODAY Coaches (No. 6) polls and picked to repeat as BIG EAST Regular Season Champions in the preseason coaches' poll. The Johnnies will kick off their season on Monday when they host Quinnipiac for a 6:30 p.m. start at Carnesecca Arena.

St. John's University Athletics

Bryce Hopkins Tabbed to Karl Malone of the Year Award Top 20 Preseason Watch List

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Bryce Hopkins

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