Payton Sandfort Named to Lute Olson National Player of the Year ‘Early Season’ Watch List

IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa senior forward Payton Sandfort has been named to the 2024-25 Lute Olson National Player of the Year ‘Early Season’ Watch List, the announcement was made Tuesday by the College Insider, Inc. The award is presented annually to the top player in Division I college basketball.

Sandfort is one of eight Big Ten players on the list, along with Rutgers’ Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, Indiana’s Oumar Ballo, Michigan’s Vladislav Goldin, Washington’s Great Osobor, Purdue’s Braden Smith and Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton.

Early in the 2024-25 season, Sandfort has reached double figure in each of Iowa’s first four games. He flirted with triple-doubles in Hawkeye victories over East Texas A&M and Southern, and he is averaging 16.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists, while shooting 42.3 percent from the field with 12 3-point field goals.

Sandfort has also been named to the John R. Wooden and Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Preseason Watch Lists.

As a junior, the 6-foot-8, 215 pound forward put up career-best numbers across the board, averaging 16.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists, while shooting 44.6 percent from the floor, 37.9 percent from distance and 91.1 percent from the free throw stripe.

Sandfort was one of the best shooters in the Big Ten, leading the league with 94 3-point field goals. He made two or more 3s in 27 games, three or more in 17 games and four or more 12 times. The 94 makes ranked in the top 40 nationally.

Sandfort, who became just the second Big Ten Player since 1992-92 to average 16+ points, 6+ rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.5 3-point field goals, made Iowa history during a Feb. 27 victory over Penn State. He recorded the first triple-double in program history, finishing with 26 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and three blocks in the game.

The award is named in honor of Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson, who won 776 games in 34 seasons, 24 of which were spent at the University of Arizona and nine at Iowa. Olson is one of just 25 head coaches in NCAA history to win 700 or more games and he ranks ninth on the Division I career victories list.

In 2002, Olson was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He passed away on Aug. 27, 2020.

The recipient of the 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 – the site of the men’s Division I Basketball Championship.

The Hawkeyes return to action tonight, hosting Rider at 7 p.m. (CT) on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The game will be streamed live on B1G+.