University of Evansville senior D.J. Balentine has been named to the 2015 Lute Olson Award Preseason Watch List in an announcement on Monday afternoon.
The Lute Olson Award is presented annually to the nation’s top Division I player who has played at least two seasons. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible. The award is named in honor of Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson, who won 780 games in 34 seasons. Twenty-four of those seasons were spent at the University of Arizona.
Balentine returns for his senior season with the Purple Aces after leading the team through a perfect run in the 2015 CollegeInsider.com Tournament where he was named the Most Valuable Player. That run, coupled with the return of all five starters have UE picked second in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll.
Beginning the season with a total of 1,750 points, Balentine is the #2 scorer in the nation since the beginning of the 2013-14 season, behind only Tyler Haws of BYU. Balentine has scored 1,475 points in the last two seasons while Haws has notched 1,543.
With a 95-65 win in the exhibition game against Wabash in the rearview mirror, Balentine and the Purple Aces have their sights set on Sunday’s regular season opener against Southeast Missouri State. The game is set for 2 p.m. at the Ford Center.
