In basketball, a block (short for blocked shot) occurs when a defender deflects or stops a field goal attempt without committing a foul. [1] The National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I block title is awarded to the player with the highest blocks per game average in a given season. The block title was first recognized in the 1985–86 season when statistics on blocks were first compiled by the NCAA. [2]
David Robinson of Navy holds the all-time NCAA Division I record single-season total blocks record (207) which was set during 1985–86, coincidentally the first season that the NCAA kept track of blocked shots. [2] [3] Although Robinson holds the single-season record, it is Jarvis Varnado of Mississippi State who claims the all-time career blocked shots record (564). [4] The highest single-season blocks per game (bpg) record is held by Northeastern's Shawn James, who averaged 6.53 blocks in 2005–06. [5]
Five players have been two-time NCAA bpg leaders: David Robinson (1986, 1987), Keith Closs (1995, 1996), Tarvis Williams (1999, 2001), Jarvis Varnado (2008, 2009), and Jamarion Sharp (2022, 2023). Additionally, six freshmen have led Division I in blocks: Alonzo Mourning (1989), Shawn Bradley (1991), Keith Closs (1995), Hassan Whiteside (2010), Anthony Davis (2012), and Chris Obekpa (2013). Among all-time NCAA blocks leaders, only Robinson, Mourning, and Shaquille O'Neal are members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. [6]
Keith Closs, the blocks leader in 1995 and 1996, only played college basketball for two seasons. [7] He left the NCAA after only two years to pursue a career in professional basketball, thereby foregoing his final two seasons of eligibility under NCAA by-laws. Had he decided to stay at Central Connecticut, Closs could have potentially become the first player to lead Division I in blocks for not only three years, but possibly all four.
Nine players on this list were born outside the United States—Shawn Bradley in Germany (West Germany at the time of his birth), Adonal Foyle in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Wojciech Myrda in Poland, Deng Gai in what is now South Sudan (part of Sudan at the time of his birth), Chris Obekpa in Nigeria, Jordan Bachynski in Canada, Vashil Fernandez in Jamaica, Liam Thomas in Australia, and Ajdin Penava in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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All teams are listed with their current athletic brand names, which do not always reflect those used by a given program in a specific season.
In basketball, a block or blocked shot occurs when a defensive player legally deflects a field goal attempt from an offensive player to prevent a score. The defender is not allowed to make contact with the offensive player's hand or a foul is called. In order to be legal, the block must occur while the shot is traveling upward or at its apex. A deflected field goal that is made does not count as a blocked shot and simply counts as a successful field goal attempt for shooter plus the points awarded to the shooting team. For the shooter, a blocked shot is counted as a missed field goal attempt. Also, on a shooting foul, a blocked shot cannot be awarded or counted, even if the player who deflected the field goal attempt is different from the player who committed the foul. If the ball is heading downward when the defender hits it, it is ruled as goaltending and counts as a made basket. Goaltending is also called if the block is made after the ball bounces on the backboard.
Adonal David Foyle is a Vincentian-American former professional basketball center. He was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the eighth overall selection of the 1997 NBA draft. Foyle played ten seasons with the Warriors until the team bought out his contract on August 13, 2007. At the time, he had been Golden State's longest-tenured player. He then played two seasons with the Orlando Magic and part of the 2008–09 season with the Memphis Grizzlies, sat out the next season due to knee surgery, and retired. As of 2018, Foyle does Warriors post-game commentary for ABC 7 in San Francisco.
Keith Mitchell Closs Jr. is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Santiago Basket Titanes of the Laliga de Campeones (LDC). He played at the center position.
The Central Connecticut Blue Devils men's basketball team is the men's basketball team that represent Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Connecticut, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Northeast Conference and are coached by Patrick Sellers. The team last played in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 2007.
Jarvis Lamar Varnado is an American professional basketball player for Piratas de La Guaira of the Venezuelan Basketball League. Varnado is known as a defensive specialist and is especially adept at shot blocking where he's aided by his large wingspan.
DeShawn Adrian Sims Jr. is an American basketball coach and former professional basketball player. He is the head coach at Pershing High School and last played for Pistoia of the Serie A2 Basket. He has previously played for Sagesse and Champville of the Lebanese Basketball League, as well as teams in Greece, Korea, Israel and Puerto Rico after a career with the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team. In high school, he became Associated Press Class A Player of the Year, a Jordan Brand All-American and a fourth team Parade All-American. At Michigan he became a second-team All-Big Ten Conference selection. He had signed a free-agent contract with the Boston Celtics for whom he played in the Orlando Summer League in addition to playing for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Summer League. He became a 2011 D-League All-Star and NBA Development League Rookie of the Year.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball program represents Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi, in men's NCAA Division I basketball. The Bulldogs play in the Southeastern Conference. Mississippi State has qualified for the NCAA tournament 13 times and most recently in 2024. The Bulldogs best finish in the NCAA tournament came in 1996 when they advanced to the Final Four. On March 20, 2022, Mississippi State named former New Mexico State head coach Chris Jans as its 21st head basketball coach.
Huskies of Honor is a recognition program sponsored by the University of Connecticut (UConn). Similar to a hall of fame, it honors the most significant figures in the history of the UConn Huskies—the university's athletic teams—especially the men's and women's basketball teams. The inaugural honorees, inducted in two separate ceremonies during the 2006–07 season, included thirteen men's basketball players, ten women's basketball players, and four head coaches, of whom two coaches—Jim Calhoun and Geno Auriemma—and two players—Ray Allen and Rebecca Lobo—are also enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Since that time, an additional nine women's basketball players, seven men's basketball players, five national championship teams, one women's basketball assistant coach, and one athletic director have been honored.
Wojciech Myrda was a Polish professional basketball player. At 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) tall, he played the center position. He was born in Poland but graduated from high school in the United States. Myrda attended Ouachita Parish High School in Monroe, Louisiana for his senior year in 1997–98.
Jordan Bachynski is a Canadian former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Arizona State Sun Devils. As a senior in 2014, he was the leading shot blocker in NCAA Division I and was named the defensive player of the year in the Pac-12 Conference.
The Marshall Thundering Herd men's basketball statistical leaders are individual statistical leaders of the Marshall Thundering Herd men's basketball program in various categories, including points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. Within those areas, the lists identify single-game, single-season, and career leaders. The Thundering Herd represent Marshall University in the NCAA Division I Sun Belt Conference.