Final game shouldn't overshadow Rueben Chinyelu’s case for national award

Florida’s season ended in part because Rueben Chinyelu had one of his worst games as a Gator at the worst time. Chinyelu had four fouls, one rebound, and zero points in Florida’s loss to Iowa, and Todd Golden didn’t even use Chinyelu down the stretch. Some of this was Iowa’s own game plan to pull Chinyelu out further than he would have liked, and some was just Chinyelu just not finding the magic that made him special all season long.

But final game notwithstanding, Chinyelu’s transformation this year was a massive reason why Florida steamrolled through the SEC and won the regular season title for the first time since 2014. He’s now one of four finalists for a massive national award.

Rueben Chinyelu up fo Naismith Defensive Player of the Year 

Chinyelu was named a finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year alongside Flory Bidunga of Kansas, Zuby Ejiofor of St. John’s, and Joseph Tugler of Houston. When it comes to an award such as Defensive Player of the Year, it’s often far more subjective than other awards since there are a ton of little things that go into the role that don’t show up on a box score.

But Chinyelu will have a strong argument for the award because he fits the criteria of both box score numbers and eye test. Chinyelu averaged 11.2 rebounds per game, good for 4th in the country. His 19 double-doubles also set a Florida record.  He wasn’t a massive shot blocker, but he helped anchor a Florida defense that only allowed 45.1% shooting percentage on opponents' two-point attempts, good for 8th in the country.

In terms of optics and the eye test, his signature moment of the season came against Alabama when he was a one-man wrecking crew, and one sequence in particular led ESPN commentator Jimmy Dykes to declare Chinyelu the best defender in college basketball.

Chinyelu himself still has a big choice to make in terms of his future. He has the option to return to Florida for his senior year. Right now he is viewed as a fringe 2nd round pick in the NBA Draft.