SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Two American Athletic Conference standouts – Jacob Evans of Cincinnati and Wichita State’s Markis McDuffie – have been named to the Watch List for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced today.
Evans and McDuffie join Shake Milton, Jalen Adams, Landry Shamet (Bob Cousy Award) and Rob Gray (Jerry West Award) as American players named to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame’s watch lists this week.
“With his combination of domination on the court and tremendous scoring ability, Julius Erving forged the way for future small forwards in the game of basketball,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “After being a historical player at UMass, he went on to have a monumental career in the ABA and NBA. The Basketball Hall of Fame recognizes the twenty-one young men on this award watch list as showing similar dedication and skill as Dr. J and we cannot wait to see how they contribute to their teams’ success this season.”
Evans led the Bearcats in scoring, averaging 13.5 points with 4.2 rebounds last season. A 2017 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year finalist, NABC District 25 Second Team selection and American Championship All-Tournament team honoree, Evans ranked among the league leaders in three-point field goal percentage (fifth at .418), steals (ninth at 1.3), field goal percentage (11th at .473), points (12th at 13.5), three-pointers made (12th at 1.9), free throw percentage (14th at .732) and minutes played (26th at 31.6). He scored in double figures in 31 of 36 games in 2016-17, the most by a Bearcat since Sean Kilpatrick (33 of 34 games in 2013-14).
McDuffie was a first team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection in 2017 after leading the Shockers in points (11.5), rebounds (5.7) and steals (42), becoming the first Wichita State underclassman in 23 years to lead the team in both points and rebounds. As a sophomore, McDuffie also earned NABC First Team All-District 16 accolades.
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.
“It is an honor to be associated with this award and follow the exceptional athletes that are on this watch list,” said Julius Erving, a 1993 inductee of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “These student-athletes truly represent the best in the college game and I am eager to see what they will achieve in the 2017-18 season and beyond.”
By mid-February, the watch list of 21 players for the 2018 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 2018 Julius Erving Award will be presented at the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show presented by Wendy’s in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 6, 2018. Broadcast information will be released at a later date.
Previous winners of the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award include Josh Hart, Villanova (2017), Denzel Valentine, Michigan State (2016) and Stanley Johnson, Arizona (2015). For more information on the 2018 Julius Erving Award, log onto
www.HoophallAwards.com.
2018 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award Candidates
| Rawle Alkins |
Arizona |
| Kelan Martin |
Butler |
| Jacob Evans |
Cincinnati |
| Gary Trent Jr. |
Duke |
| Zach Norvell Jr. |
Gonzaga |
| Kevin Knox |
Kentucky |
| Deng Adel |
Louisville |
| Justin Jackson |
Maryland |
| Bruce Brown Jr. |
Miami |
| Miles Bridges |
Michigan St. |
| Michael Porter Jr. |
Missouri |
| Tyler Hall |
Montana St |
| Jeffrey Carroll |
Oklahoma St. |
| Troy Brown Jr. |
Oregon |
| Vincent Edwards |
Purdue |
| De'Monte Buckingham |
Richmond |
| DJ Hogg |
Texas A&M |
| Kris Wilkes |
UCLA |
| Mikal Bridges |
Villanova |
| Markis McDuffie |
Wichita State |
| Trevon Bluiett |
Xavier |