🏀 McCullar Named Jerry West Award Top 10 Candidate
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Kansas graduate-senior guard Kevin McCullar has been named a 2024 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award Top 10 candidate, the Naismith 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 10th year, recognizes the top shooting guards in Division I men’s college basketball.
Joining McCullar on the list is Trey Alexander (Creighton), LJ Cryer (Houston), Johnell Davis (FAU), RJ Davis (North Carolina), Boogie Ellis (USC), Caleb Love (Arizona), Antonio Reeves (Kentucky), Tyson Walker (Michigan State) and Ja’Kobe Walter (Baylor). Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2023-24 season.
On most every midseason All-America team, McCullar leads the Big 12 in scoring at 19.8 points per game, which is 31st nationally. The San Antonio native’s two triple-doubles this season are the most amongst the NCAA. McCullar also leads KU with 32 three-point field goals made. His 6.4 rebounds per game are second on the team and he ranks in 11 Big 12 statistical categories in 2023-24.
A two-time national Naismith Defensive Player of the Year semifinalist and three time All-Big 12 selection, for his career McCullar has scored 1,436 points with 716 rebounds, 324 assists and 207 steals. He has 102 starts in his 132 games played, including 53 starts in 54 contests in his two seasons at Kansas.
Fans can support their favorite players in the remaining rounds by participating in Fan Voting starting Friday, February 2, on hoophallawards.com. The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.
In March, five finalists will be presented to West and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The Selection Committee for the Jerry West Award is composed of top men’s college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers.
The winner of the 2024 Jerry West Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Award (Point Guard), Julius Erving Award (Small Forward), Karl Malone Award (Power Forward), and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (Center), in addition to the Women’s Starting Five.
Previous winners of the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award are Marcus Sasser, Houston (2023), Johnny Davis, Wisconsin (2022), Chris Duarte, Oregon (2021), Myles Powell, Seton Hall (2020), RJ Barrett, Duke (2019), Carsen Edwards, Purdue (2018), Malik Monk, Kentucky (2017), Buddy Hield, Oklahoma (2016), and D’Angelo Russell, Ohio State (2015).
For more information on the 2024 Jerry West Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophallU and #WestAward on Twitter and Instagram.
