lllini senior Nnanna Egwu among finalist for Lefty Driesell Award

Illinois senior Nnanna Egwu is one of 26 finalists for the 2015 Lefty Driesell National Defensive Player of the Year, as announced by CollegeInsider.com Monday.

The recipient of the 2015 award will be announced at the CollegeInsider.com Awards Banquet this Friday in Indianapolis, home of the 2015 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship.

Egwu finished his Illinois career with 201 blocked shots in 136 career games, making him the most prolific shot blocker in the program's history. He broke the all-time Illinois record Jan. 21 against Purdue. HIs 201 blocks rank 21st on the NCAA active career list.

The 2015 Big Ten All-Defensive Team selection, ranked third in the league in blocks (1.8 bpg.), seventh in steals (1.3 spg.) and 11th in rebounding (6.3 rpg). His 59 season block total is fifth on the Illinois single-season list. He tallied three of more blocks in nine games on the season, including four in his final game at the State Farm Center against Nebraska on March 4.

The Lefty Driesell award is named in honor of coaching legend Lefty Driesell, who is the only person to win 100 games at four different Division I schools. He is best known for his time at Maryland, leading the program to the National Invitational title in 1972 and its second-ever ACC Tournament Championship in 1984. He finished his career at Maryland with a 348-159 record and concluded his career with a 786-394 mark.

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