Frank Mason III hopes to add to his 2017 accolades as a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award.
As the NCAA tournament draws closer, so does awards season.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame presents awards to the best player at each position. The finalists for each award -- named after a legendary collegiate player at their respective position -- were announced this week. The national committee has narrowed down their February field of 10 to the five top candidates at each position.
Bob Cousy Award finalists
The award for best point guard is named after the Holy Cross standout, where he played from 1947 to 1950. He went on to have a Hall of Fame career with the Boston Celtics, winning six championships.
Kentucky's Tyler Ulis was last year's winner.
| Player | School |
|---|---|
| Nigel Williams-Goss | Gonzaga |
| Frank Mason III | Kansas |
| Joel Berry II | North Carolina |
| Lonzo Ball | UCLA |
| Jalen Brunson | Villanova |
Jerry West Award finalists
"The Logo" capped off an All-American career at West Virginia (1957-60) with a career as one of the NBA's finest shooting guards of all-time.
Buddy Hield of Oklahoma took home the 2016 honors.
| Player | School |
|---|---|
| Marcus Foster | Creighton |
| Luke Kennard | Duke |
| Peter Jok | Iowa |
| Malik Monk | Kentucky |
| Bryce Alford | UCLA |
Julius Erving Award finalists
Known as one of the greatest dunkers of all-time, Dr. J was a standout small forward for UMass from 1968 to 1971. He went on to an iconic career in both the ABA and NBA, retiring as a four-time MVP.
2016's winner was Michigan State's Denzel Valentine.
| Player | School |
|---|---|
| Jayson Tatum . | Duke |
| Josh Jackson | Kansas |
| Justin Jackson | North Carolina |
| Dillon Brooks | Oregon |
| Josh Hart | Villanova |
Karl Malone Award finalists
One of the greatest power forwards in the history of the game, Malone led Louisiana Tech to their first NCAA tournament ever. He averaged 18.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game from 1982 to 1985 before becoming the eighth-best rebounder in NBA history. A member of both the Jazz and Lakers, Malone also garnered international acclaim as a member of the Dream Team.
Taking home the award last season was Georges Niang of Iowa State.
| Player | School |
|---|---|
| Lauri Markkanen | Arizona |
| Johnathan Motley | Baylor |
| Bonzie Colson | Notre Dame |
| Caleb Swanigan | Purdue |
| TJ Leaf | UCLA |
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award finalists
Abdul-Jabbar rose to fame at UCLA during John Wooden's dynasty of the 1960s. He followed up his three NCAA titles by winning six more during his Hall of Fame NBA career with the Bucks and Lakers.
Last year, Jakob Poeltl of Utah won the award.
| Player | School |
|---|---|
| Przemek Karnowski | Gonzaga |
| Tim Kempton . | Lehigh |
| Jock Landale | Saint Mary's |
| Angel Delgado | Seton Hall |
| Ethan Happ | Wisconsin |
UCLA leads the way with with three student-athletes represented. Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, North Carolina and Villanova are represented with two athletes a piece.
The awards will be presented on April 7, 2017 from Los Angeles.
