Devin Tillis Announced As Nolan Richardson Award Finalist
March 13, 2025 | Men's Basketball
IRVINE, Calif. โ Forward Devin Tillis has been named a finalist for the Nolan Richardson Award, and honor presented annually to a Division I player who is the heart and soul of his team and a leader on and off the court.
Tillis threatened with his 13.1 points per game with 20 double figure scoring performances, six of those games ending with 20 or more tallies. On defense, the Los Angeles native finished second on the squad, third in the Big West, in rebounds per game (7.6, 235 total), and finished the regular season with five double-doubles. Tillis became a member of the 500-career rebounding club during the 2024-25 and currently sits 14th all-time in UC Irvine's rebounding ranks with 642 boards.
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The forward was just recently named to the All-Big West Second Team for his playmaking abilities this season during the conference portion of the slate including a career-best 25 points at Cal Poly and hitting the game winning shot with 0.6 seconds left on the clock against UC Santa Barbara inside the Bren Events Center.
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The Nolan Richardson award is named in honor of one of the true legends of the game. His frenetic style of fast-break basketball, with full-court pressure, helped him become the only coach to win NJCCA, NIT and NCAA National Championships. After winning a junior college national championship at Western Texas College, Richardson went on to lead Tulsa to the NIT Championship in his first season at the helm. He averaged 24 wins per season in his five years at Tulsa, leading the Golden Hurricanes to three NCAA Tournament appearances.
In 17 seasons at Arkansas, Richardson led the Razorbacks to 9 conference championships, 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, three Final Fours and the 1994 NCAA Championship. His famed "40 Minutes of Hell" produced over 500 career wins.
Nolan Richardson was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame and 2008 and he was enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014.
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 2025 award will be announced in San Antonio, TX, site of the men's Division I Basketball Championship.
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Tillis threatened with his 13.1 points per game with 20 double figure scoring performances, six of those games ending with 20 or more tallies. On defense, the Los Angeles native finished second on the squad, third in the Big West, in rebounds per game (7.6, 235 total), and finished the regular season with five double-doubles. Tillis became a member of the 500-career rebounding club during the 2024-25 and currently sits 14th all-time in UC Irvine's rebounding ranks with 642 boards.
ย
The forward was just recently named to the All-Big West Second Team for his playmaking abilities this season during the conference portion of the slate including a career-best 25 points at Cal Poly and hitting the game winning shot with 0.6 seconds left on the clock against UC Santa Barbara inside the Bren Events Center.
ย
The Nolan Richardson award is named in honor of one of the true legends of the game. His frenetic style of fast-break basketball, with full-court pressure, helped him become the only coach to win NJCCA, NIT and NCAA National Championships. After winning a junior college national championship at Western Texas College, Richardson went on to lead Tulsa to the NIT Championship in his first season at the helm. He averaged 24 wins per season in his five years at Tulsa, leading the Golden Hurricanes to three NCAA Tournament appearances.
In 17 seasons at Arkansas, Richardson led the Razorbacks to 9 conference championships, 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, three Final Fours and the 1994 NCAA Championship. His famed "40 Minutes of Hell" produced over 500 career wins.
Nolan Richardson was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame and 2008 and he was enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014.
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 2025 award will be announced in San Antonio, TX, site of the men's Division I Basketball Championship.
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Players Mentioned
Forward
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