Springfield, Mass. — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today the 20 watch list members for the
2020 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award and Arizona freshman
Josh Green was among those listed.
Named after Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player Julius Erving, the annual honor in its sixth year recognizes the top small forwards in Division I men's college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
"The Starting Five represents our five positional awards that bring together the best in college game today and the Hall of Famers who have paved the way, such as Julius Erving" said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. "Our selection committee has put together an outstanding watch list with talent from across the country, which should inspire fans from coast-to-coast to get involved and vote for their favorite athletes. We're excited to watch this season unfold!"
Green, a native of Sydney, Australia, was a McDonald's All-American last year after scoring 19 points in the championship game to help IMG Academy claim the high school national championship. He also attended the 2018 and 2019 Nike Hoop Summit as a member of Team World.
Julius Erving attended the University of Massachusetts and averaged 26.3 points and 20.2 rebounds per game, making him one of only six NCAA men's basketball players to average more than 20 points and 20 rebounds per game. After two seasons, Erving made the jump to the American Basketball Association and was the league's most recognizable player when it merged with the National Basketball Association in 1976. During his professional career, Erving won three championships, four most valuable player awards and three scoring titles. In 1996, he was named a member of the NBA's 50
th Anniversary All-Time Team.
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 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award will be narrowed to just 10. In March, five finalists will be presented to Mr. Erving and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. The winner of the 2020 Julius Erving Award will be presented at
The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy's in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 10, 2020, along with the other four members of the Men's Starting Five.
Previous winners of the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award include
Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga (2019),
Mikal Bridges, Villanova (2018),
Josh Hart, Villanova (2017),
Denzel Valentine, Michigan State (2016) and
Stanley Johnson, Arizona (2015).
For more information on the 2020 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award and the latest updates, log onto
www.hoophallawards.com and follow
@hoophall on Twitter and Instagram.
Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on Friday, October 18.
2020 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award Candidates*
| Josh Green |
Arizona |
| Matthew Hurt |
Duke |
| Scottie Lewis |
Florida |
| Corey Kispert |
Gonzaga |
| Seth Towns |
Harvard |
| Xavier Sneed |
Kansas State |
| Kahlil Whitney |
Kentucky |
| Jordan Nwora |
Louisville |
| Precious Achiuwa |
Memphis |
| Tres Tinkle |
Oregon St. |
| Alpha Diallo |
Providence |
| Nojel Eastern |
Purdue |
| LJ Figueroa |
St. John's |
| Elijah Hughes |
Syracuse |
| Chris Clarke |
Texas Tech |
| Anthony Lamb |
Vermont |
| Saddiq Bey |
Villanova |
| Jaden McDaniels |
Washington |
| CJ Elleby |
Washington State |
| Naji Marshall |
Xavier |
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2019-20 season*
