BOSTON, Ma. - San Francisco's Jonathan Mogbo was one of 35 student-athletes recently selected by CollegeInsider.com as a finalist for the 2023-24 Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award on Wednesday, Mar. 20.
 
The award, which is presented annually to the top mid-major player in Division I college basketball, honors the former Illinois and New Mexico State head coach who won 775 games in 41 seasons.
 
Players on teams from the following conferences are eligible for the award: America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Horizon, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt, Western Athletic, and West Coast.
 
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 2024 award will be announced in Phoenix, AZ, site of the men's Division I Basketball Championship.
 
Evolving into one of the most dominant big men in the country this season, Mogbo made his mark in year one on the Hilltop. Already being named WCC Newcomer of the Year in addition to earning All-WCC First team honors, Mogbo played and started in all 34 games for San Francisco this season while averaging 28.9 minutes per game. 
 
Overall, the dynamic forward led the Dons in scoring (14.2 ppg), rebounding (10.1) and steals (1.6 spg). At the conclusion of the regular season, he finished in the top 20 in Division I in total rebounds (318/7th), field goal percentage (64.33, 8th), double doubles (16, 10th), rebounding (10.3, 13th) and offensive rebounds (3.55/19th). Within the WCC, the Missouri State transfer finished first in rebounding, field goal percentage and steals while also finishing sixth in scoring and eighteenth in minutes. Looking at the record books on the Hilltop, Mogbo finished the season with a 63.6 field goal percentage (206-324), which is good for the second-highest in a single season in program history only to Bill Cartwright's 66.7 percent (168-252) in 1978-79.
 
Notably, Mogbo tallied double figures in 28 of USF's 34 games and had ten or more rebounds in 19 of USF's 34 games. For these efforts, he was named WCC Player of the Week three times this season (Jan. 8, Jan. 15 + Feb. 5). Additionally, he was also named to the Lou Henson Award Mid-Season Watch List on Jan. 10.
 
The full list of the 2024 Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award finalists are:
 
Achor Achor - Samford
Robbie Avila  - Indiana State
Jalen Blackmon - Stetson
Isaiah Cozart - Eastern Kentucky
Isaiah Crawford - Louisiana Tech
Tucker DeVries - Drake
Terrence Edwards, Jr. - James Madison
Enrique Freeman - Akron
Kezza Giffa - High Point
Tyon Grant-Foster - Grand Canyon
Donovan Gregory - Appalachian State
Xavier Johnson - Southern Illinois
Dillon Jones - Weber State
Xaivian Lee - Princeton
Malik Mack - Harvard
Aidan Mahaney - Saint Mary's
Zeke Mayo - South Dakota State
Riley Minix - Morehead State
Jonathan Mogbo - San Francisco
Drew Pember - UNC Asheville
Elijah Pepper - UC Davis
Caden Pierce - Princeton
Bryce Pope - UC San Diego
Noah Reynolds - Green Bay
Jordan Sears - UT Martin
Braeden Smith - Colgate
Reyne Smith - Charleston
Isaiah Swope - Indiana State
Jamarii Thomas - Norfolk State
Tyler Thomas - Hofstra
Trey Townsend - Oakland
Shahada Wells - McNeese
Danny Wolf - Yale
Lamar Wilkerson - Sam Houston
Vonterius Woolbright - Western Carolina
 
To view the full press release from College Insider, please click here.
 
For updates and more information on the USF men's basketball program, follow the Dons @USFDonsMBB on Twitter, @USFDonsMBB on Instagram and @USFDonsMBB on Facebook.