🏀 McCullar Named to the 2024 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Watch List
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Kansas redshirt-senior Kevin McCullar Jr. is one of 20 named to the 2024 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award Watch List, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Tuesday.
Named Preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention, McCullar is on the preseason team for the second-straight season as he was also an honorable mention selection in 2022-23. The San Antonio guard is a three-time All-Big 12 selection, with two coming while at Texas Tech and an all-conference third-team honoree while at Kansas last season. McCullar has been a Naismith Defensive Player of the Year semifinalist in 2021-22 and 2022-23 and was on the Big 12 All-Defensive team last season.
In 2022-23, McCullar averaged 10.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game and was third in the Big 12 with seven double-doubles. A 2023 KU graduate, McCullar enters 2023-24 with 1,040 points, 589 rebounds, 231 assists and 178 steals for his career.
Named after the 1972 NBA Finals Champion and 14-time NBA All-Star Jerry West, the annual honor in its 10th 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.
Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting in each of the three rounds starting on Friday, October 27. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2024 Jerry West Award will be narrowed to 10, and then in late February, to just 5. In March, the five finalists will be presented to West and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee, where a winner will be selected.
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 (Power Forward), and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (Center), in addition to the Women’s Starting Five. Last season, KU’s Jalen Wilson won the 2023 Julius Erving Award.
For more information on the 2024 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophallu and #WestAward on Twitter and Instagram.
2024 Jerry West Award Candidates*
Aidan Mahaney, St. Mary’s
Antonio Reeves, Kentucky
Boogie Ellis, USC
Caleb Love, Arizona
Fletcher Loyer, Purdue
Ja’Kobe Walter, Baylor
Johnell Davis, FAU
Jordan Dingle, St. Johns
Justin Moore, Villanova
Kam Jones, Marquette
KEVIN MCCULLAR JR., KANSAS
LJ Cryer, Houston
Riley Kugel, Florida
Santiago Vescovi, Tennessee
Stephon Castle, UCONN
Terrence Shannon Jr., Illinois
Tramon Mark, Arkansas
Trey Alexander, Creighton
Tyrese Proctor, Duke
Tyson Walker, Michigan State
* Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2023-24 season.
