Miami Forward Malik Reneau named to national award watchlist

Miami forward Malik Reneau has been named to the preseason watch list for the Karl Malone Award, which honors the nation's top power forward, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced Oct. 30. Reneau is one of 20 players recognized entering the 2025-26 season.

The Malone Award is part of the Hall of Fame's "Naismith Starting Five" and has recognized frontcourt standouts such as Johni Broome (2025), Jaedon LeDee (2024) and Trayce Jackson-Davis (2023). The Hall will trim the list to 10 candidates in late January and five in late February before selecting a winner in March.

Reneau, a 6-foot-9 Miami native, transferred to UM in April after three seasons at Indiana and was a two-time All-Big Ten honorable mention with the Hoosiers. Last year he averaged a team-best 13.3 points, with 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists, while shooting 55.2% from the field. Indiana went 10-3 last season in games when Reneau scored at least 15 points. Reneau reached double figures 19 times last season, topped 20 points three times and shot better than 70% at the line.

For first-year head coach Jai Lucas, Reneau's inclusion represents how quickly Miami rebuilt its frontcourt through the portal. The Hurricanes also added center Ernest Udeh Jr., who landed on the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award watch list for top center, giving Miami two preseason honorees among the Hall's positional awards. A 6-foot-11, 266-pound Orlando native, Udeh transferred to Miami in April after two seasons at TCU and one at Kansas. 52 of his 71 made field goals last season were dunks and he led TCU in rebounding 16 times. He also posted an 18-rebound game on Jan. 1, the program's most since 2020, and blocked 22 shots on the year.

Miami opens Monday against Jacksonville at the Watsco Center. Reneau has an immediate stage to validate the nod and establish early traction in a field that includes returning stars from programs such as UConn, Texas Tech and Gonzaga.