UConn redshirt junior Rodney Purvis and teammate Daniel Hamilton, a sophomore, were named to the 2016 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award Watch List as announced by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Oct. 13.
Purvis, who played his first season at UConn in 2014-15 after sitting out the 2013-14 season per NCAA transfer rules, averaged 11.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game during his inaugural campaign in Storrs. He led all UConn players with 17.8 points per game in the postseason and was named to the 2015 American Athletic Conference Championship all-tournament team.
Hamilton was named the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year after starting all 35 games for UConn as a freshman last season. He ranked third on the team in points (10.9), second in assists (3.66), first in rebounds (7.6) and was the only freshman in the country to reach the 300-point, 200-rebound, 100-assist plateau in 2014-15.
Named after Hall of Famer and 11-time NBA All-Star Julius Erving, the annual honor in its second year recognizes the top small forwards in Division I men’s college basketball. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
By mid-February, the watch list for the 2016 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award will be narrowed to 10. In March, five finalists will be presented to Mr. Erving and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2016 Julius Erving Award will be presented at the ESPN College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy’s from Club Nokia in Los Angeles, Calif. on Friday, April 8, 2016.
For more information on the 2016 Julius Erving Award, log onto www.HoophallAwards.com.
2016 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award Candidates
Jaylen Brown, California
Daniel Hamilton, UConn
Rodney Purvis, UConn
Brandon Ingram, Duke
John Brown, High Point
Troy Williams, Indiana
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, Kansas
Wayne Selden, Jr., Kansas
Alex Poythress, Kentucky
Damion Lee, Louisville
Ben Simmons, Louisiana State
Jake Layman, Maryland
Denzel Valentine, Michigan State
Justin Jackson, North Carolina
DeAndre Bembry, Saint Joseph’s
Malik Pope, San Diego State
Michael Gbinije, Syracuse
D.J. Hogg, Texas A&M
Brandon Taylor, Utah
Nigel Hayes, Wisconsin
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was invented, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame promotes and preserves the game of basketball at every level – professional, collegiate and high school, for both men and women on the global stage.