Queens University Basketball Star Malcolm Wilson Named Finalist For The Lefty Driesell Award
Queens University of Charlotte men’s basketball standout center Malcolm Wilson has been named a finalist for the 2024-25 Lefty Driesell Award, as officially announced by CollegeInsider.com on Wednesday afternoon. The award is presented annually to the top defensive player in Division 1 college basketball.
“Malcolm is exceptionally deserving of this nomination,” said head men’s basketball coach Grant Leonard. “His rim protection prowess speaks for itself. Leading the country in blocks and being the Defensive Player of the Year in the Atlantic Sun are huge stepping stones for Malcolm as he helped us make huge improvements as a team defensively. The Great Wall of Malcolm continues to shine.”
The seven-foot Georgetown transfer made a statement on defense this year and was rewarded with ASUN Defensive Player of the Year honors. This is the first time a Royal has garnered this recognition since joining the league in 2022. Wilson was electric on the block swatting 112 blocks on the season, the second most in a single season in program history and the most in Division 1 program history. The Columbia, South Carolina native led the nation in blocked shots for the entire season, averaging 3.4 denials per game.
Across 33 starts this season, Wilson swatted four or more shots in 12 outings. The graduate student blocked a Division 1 program record and career-high eight shots in the season-opener against Lynchburg. Wilson was one of four players since 2014 to block 34 shots in the first month of the season. Since 2009, only 15 players in Division 1 men’s basketball had a higher block percentage, including four standouts who played multiple years in the NBA in Walker Kessler, Joel Anthony, Larry Sanders, and Hassan Whiteside.
In addition to his shot-blocking ability, Wilson pulled down a team-high 5.5 rebounds per game which ranked 15th in the ASUN. Wilson grabbed double-digit rebounds in four outings, including back-to-back 12 rebound efforts to kick off the 2025 season.
The Lefty Driesell Award is named in honor of the legendary coach who spent over four decades as a head coach. Driesell won 786 games in 41 years at Davidson, Maryland, James Madison, and Georgia State. He ranks eighth on the NCAA career Division 1 coaches victories list and his teams were known for playing tenacious defense. Driesell was one of three coaches to reach the NCAA Tournament with four different programs as his teams won a combined 16 regular-season titles and six tournament championships.
The recipient of the annual award is determined by a 10-member voting committee, which consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of collegeinsider.com. The 2025 award will be announced in San Antonio, Texas at the site of the men’s Division 1 Basketball Championship.