SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- University of Cincinnati sophomore swingman Jacob Evans (Baton Rouge, La./St. Michael the Archangel) has been named a finalists for the 2017 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced Tuesday.
Named after Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player Jerry West, the annual honor in its third year, recognizes the top shooting guards in Division I men’s college basketball. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates in October, which has now been narrowed to just 10.
Evans leads 14th-ranked Cincinnati (19-2, 8-0 American Athletic Conference), averaging 14.3 points. He has scored in double figures in 19 of 21 games entering Tuesday. He ranks as the only player in The American to be listed among the league’s Top 10 in scoring (ninth at 14.3 points), field goal percentage (ninth at .493) and three-point field goal percentage (sixth at .400). He also ranks among the league leaders in three-pointers made (12th at 1.8) and steals (12th at 1.2).
Evans has scored as many as 25 points twice this season: registering 25 points on 8-of 12 shooting with six rebounds against then-No. 21 Rhode Island (Nov. 19) and posting 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting with four threes, five assists and four steals vs. Marshall (Dec. 22).
He tallied the most points by a Cincinnati freshman in an NCAA Tournament game last season, pouring in a career-high 26 points against Saint Joseph’s (Mar. 18, 2016).
In March, five finalists will be presented to Mr. West and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee for the 2017 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award. The winner of the 2017 Jerry West Award will be presented at the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show live from The Novo by Microsoft in downtown Los Angeles on Friday, April 7, 2017. Broadcast information will be released at a later date.
Previous winners of the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award include Buddy Hield, Oklahoma (2016) and D’Angelo Russell, Ohio State (2015). For more information on the 2017 Jerry West Award, log onto
www.HoophallAwards.com.
2017 JERRY WEST SHOOTING GUARD OF THE YEAR AWARD FINALIST
Jacob Evans, Cincinnati
Marcus Foster, Creighton
Luke Kennard, Duke
Jordan Mathews, Gonzaga
James Blackmon Jr., Indiana
Peter Jok, Iowa
Devonte' Graham, Kansas
Malik Monk, Kentucky
Steve Vasturia, Notre Dame
Bryce Alford, UCLA