Baylor Basketball's Omier Named to Karl Malone Award Midseason Top 10

WACO, Texas – Baylor fifth-year forward Norchad Omier was one of 10 players named to the Karl Malone Award Midseason Top 10, announced Thursday by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

The Malone Award honors the best power forward in men’s college basketball and is announced in conjunction with the top-10 power forwards in women’s basketball, the Katrina McClain Award. Omier joins Baylor women’s basketball’s Darianna Littlepage-Buggs on their respective lists. Baylor is one of three schools in the country with a men’s and women’s representative.

A native of Bluefields, Nicaragua, Omier has made an instant impact in his short time with the Bears, averaging a double-double with 15.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. His 11 double-doubles are the most by a Baylor player since Freddie Gillespie had 11 in 2019-20. With a team-high 16 points and 12 rebounds against Texas Tech on Tuesday night, he notched his 79th career double-double, moving him into the top 10 all-time, passing the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

BU has a history with the Karl Malone Award, as Johnathan Motley won it in 2017 when he averaged 17.3 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, leading the Bears to a Sweet Sixteen appearance.

This list will be narrowed down to five as the season progresses. Then, the finalists will be selected in late March and presented to the selection committees comprised of top men’s college basketball personnel, including media, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers. Presentation details will be announced at a later date.  

Throughout this process, players can play themselves on or off the list until the final five finalists are announced. Fan voting for the award will begin on Feb. 7.

Omier and the Bears return home on Saturday to host UCF in a 1 p.m. tip at Foster Pavilion. Lowell Galindo and BJ Taylor will have the call For ESPN+.