🏀 Agbaji Named to the 2022 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Watch List
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Kansas senior Ochai Agbaji is one of 20 players named to the 2022 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Tuesday.
Named after Class of 1980 Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player Jerry West, the annual honor in its eighth 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.
Named to the Preseason All-Big 12 team last week, Agbaji led Kansas in scoring in 2020-21 at 14.1 points per game and earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors for the second-straight season. The Kansas City, Missouri, native led KU with 78 three-pointers in 2020-21. For his career, Agbaji, a two-time Academic All-Big 12 selection, has started 77 consecutive games and is 80 points from 1,000 for his career. He enters 2021-22 at No. 18 on the KU three-point field goals made list with 147 and No. 16 in three-point field goals attempted with 418.
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 on a team that included Al Kelley from Kansas. 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.
College basketball fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2022 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award will be narrowed to 10 and then in late February to just 5. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Mr. West and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee where a winner will be selected.
For more information on the 2022 Jerry West Award and the latest updates, log onto www.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #WestAward on Twitter and Instagram. Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on Friday, October 22.
2022 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award Candidates*
Name (School) – listed alphabecitally by school
Jaden Shackelford (Alabama)
Benedict Mathurin (Arizona)
Adam Flagler (Baylor)
Hunter Sallis (Gonzaga
OCHAI AGBAJI (KANSAS)
Kellan Grady (Kentucky)
Taevion Kinsey (Marshall)
Eric Ayala (Maryland)
Landers Nolley (Memphis)
Isaiah Wong (Miami)
Eli Brooks (Michigan)
De’Vion Harmon (Oregon)
Jaden Ivey (Purdue)
Matt Bradley (San Diego St.)
Jared Rhoden (Seton Hall)
Buddy Boeheim (Syracuse)
Andrew Jones (Texas)
Terrence Shannon Jr. ( Texas Tech)
Johnny Juzang (UCLA)
Justin Moore (Villanova)
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2021-22 season*
