April 1, 2021

THE 2021 AWARD

BOSTON, MA -- Iowa’s Luka Garza is the recipient of the 2021 Lute Olson award.

The 6-foot-11 senior averaged 24.1 points, 8.7 rebounds per game and shot 55.3% from the field on the season. He led the nation in total points (747); player efficiency rating (35.84); 30-point games (8); field goals made (281); and 20-point games (22). Garza ranked fifth nationally in free throw attempts (199), eighth in free throw makes (141), and 11th in double-doubles (13). His 747 points bested his previous school single-season record of 740 points set last season.

“It has been a pleasure to watch Luka Garza play basketball, over the past four seasons,” said Angela Lento Vice President of CollegeInsider.com. “It’s difficult to come up with superlatives to describe his game that haven’t already been used a thousand times, but one word seems to fit… Winner. Luka Garza is a winner.”

This season the two-time Big Ten Player of the Year broke Iowa’s 32-year old scoring record held by Roy Marble on Feb. 21. He finished his Hawkeye career with 2,306 points rank seventh-best in Big Ten history.

In his final game as a Hawkeye, the Washington D.C. native had 36 points and nine rebounds. The 36 points are the most points scored by any Division I player in the 2021 NCAA Tournament and tied Bill Logan’s school record set against Temple on March 22, 1956.

In addition to ranking first in career scoring, Garza is tops at Iowa in 30-point games (13), conference scoring (1,399), field goals made (870), field goal attempts (1,594), and 40-point games (2); second in rebounds (931); fourth in double-doubles (34); fifth in blocked shots (154); sixth in free throw makes (446) and attempts (636); and 16th in 3-pointers made (120). He is the only men’s basketball player in Big Ten history to accumulate 2,250 points and 900 rebounds.

The Lute Olson National Player of the Year award, which is presented annually to the top player in division I college basketball, is named in honor of Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson, who won 776 games in 34 seasons, 24 of which were spent at the University of Arizona.

During that stretch he led the Wildcats to 11 Pac-10 Conference titles, 23 consecutive NCAA Tournaments, four Final Four appearances and a National Championship in 1997.

Olson is one of just 25 head coaches in NCAA history to win 700 or more games (all divisions) and ranks ninth on the Division I career victories list. He finished with a winning percentage of .731 and is the all-time winningest coach in Arizona history with 587-190 record (.755). He was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year seven times.

Olson also guided Arizona to 20 consecutive 20-win seasons and is one of only three coaches in NCAA history to record 29 or more 20-win seasons.

Prior to Arizona, Olson spent nine seasons at Iowa. He won 167 games and lead the Hawkeyes to the Final Four in 1980. He also spent one season at Long Beach State, leading the 49ers to a 24-2 record and a No. 3 ranking nationally.

In 2002, Olson was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.


2020-21 LUTE OLSON ALL-AMERICA TEAM