On March 11th, Thomas Dowd from Troy University is now a finalist for the Nolan Richardson Award. College Insider announced it this week. The honor goes each year to a Division I player who acts as the heart of his team and shows strong leadership on and off the court. Dowd averages 14.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game this season.
He played a huge role in Troy's second straight Sunbelt Tournament Championship. In the title game, he scored 23 points and pulled down 13 rebounds to earn most outstanding player honors. His 17 double-doubles ranked ninth nationally, and his rebounding average sits 15th in the country. He also picked up the Sunbelt Elite Award for top performance in games and the classroom.
The award honors Nolan Richardson, a basketball coaching legend known for his high-energy, fast-break style, called 40 Minutes of Hill. He won national titles at the junior college, NIT, and NCAA levels, for NCAA Championship with Arkansas. A panel of 10 voters, including current and former head coaches, plus college insider staff, will pick the winner from 25 strong finalists. That announcement comes during the Men's Division I Championship in Indianapolis.
Dowd joins recent standouts like last year's winner Henry Coleman, the third from Texas A&M, and Jamal Shedd from Houston in 2024. With the postseason underway, players like him keep proving why they define team spirit.