SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today the 20 watch list members for the 2020 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award.
Named after Class of 1980 Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player Jerry West, the annual honor in its sixth year recognizes the top shooting guards in Division I men’s college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
"The Hall of Fame is proud to create connections between modern day athletes and fans with the iconic figures in our game, such as Jerry West,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “It is an honor to have his continued involvement in the Starting Five and we look forward integrating the fan voting component and we narrow the watch list this season."
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Jerry West attended West Virginia University and averaged 24.8 points and 13.3 rebounds per game in his three varsity seasons. He led his team to the NCAA Championship game in 1959 and was named a consensus All-American in 1959 and 1960. In the summer of 1960, he was co-captain of the U.S. men’s basketball team and won an Olympic gold medal.
As a professional player, West played 14 seasons in the NBA with the Lakers making the All-NBA First Team 10 times. West won an NBA championship in 1972 and was named the NBA Finals MVP in 1969 despite his team not winning the championship. In 1996, he was named a member of the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.
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New to the award this season is Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. By mid-February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2020 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award will be narrowed to just 10. In March, five finalists will be presented to Mr. West and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee.
The winner of the 2020 Jerry West Award will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy’s in Los Angeles, California on Friday, April 10, 2020, along with the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five.
Additional awards being presented and sponsored by Eaton Ephesus Lighting include the Bob Cousy Point Guard Award, the Julius Erving Small Forward Award, the Karl Malone Power Forward Award and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center Award, in addition to the Women’s Starting Five. Broadcast information will be released by ESPN at a later date.
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Previous winners of the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award include RJ Barrett, Duke (2019), Carsen Edwards, Purdue (2018), Malik Monk, Kentucky (2017), Buddy Hield, Oklahoma (2016) and D’Angelo Russell, Ohio State (2015).
2020 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award Candidates*
| PLAYER | SCHOOL |
|---|---|
| Isaiah Joe | Arkansas |
| Kamar Baldwin | Butler |
| Jarron Cumberland | Cincinnati |
| Ty-Shon Alexander | Creighton |
| Kellan Grady | Davidson |
| Antoine Davis | Detroit Mercy |
| Anthony Edwards | Georgia |
| Trent Frasier | Illinois |
| Joe Wieskamp | Iowa |
| Tyrese Maxey | Kentucky |
| Skylar Mays | LSU |
| Joshua Langford | Michigan State |
| Temple 'T.J.' Gibbs | Notre Dame |
| Breein Tyree | Ole Miss |
| Myles Powell | Seton Hall |
| A.J. Lawson | South Carolina |
| Mustapha Heron | St. John's |
| Desmond Bane | TCU |
| Jordan Bowden | Tennessee |
| Sam Merrill | Utah State |
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2019-20 season*
