Iowa Hawkeyes center Luka Garza (55) holds the 2021 AP Player of the Year trophy during a photo shoot Wednesday, March 31, 2021 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Brian Ray/hawkeyesports.com)
Iowa senior Luka Garza is the recipient of three national player of the year awards announced Thursday afternoon: Lute Olson Award, Oscar Robertson Trophy, and Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year.
Garza is Iowa’s first Oscar Robertson Trophy winner and the first from the Big Ten since Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky in the 2014-15 season. Garza is the first Hawkeye and 12th player from a Big Ten school to win the Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year Award. Garza is the first Hawkeye and third player from a Big Ten school to win the Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award, joining Denzel Valentine of Michigan State in 2016 and Purdue’s Caleb Swanigan in 2017.
Garza averaged better than 24 points and nearly nine rebounds as the Hawkeyes finished 22-9 and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
“I can’t say enough about the University of Iowa and the people here and how incredible it has been for me to represent the University,” said Garza. “It has been an honor.”