🏀 Wilson Named to 2023 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Watch List
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – For the second-straight season, Kansas forward Jalen Wilson is one of 20 players named to the 2023 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award Watch List. The list was announced by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Wednesday.
Named after Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player Julius Erving, the annual honor is in its eighth year recognizing the top small forwards in Division I men’s college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
A starter on the Jayhawks 2022 NCAA National Championship team, Wilson is KU’s leading returning scorer and rebounder from last season, when he averaged 11.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. The Denton, Texas, forward has been listed on many preseason All-America teams in 2022-23, and was an All-Big 12 Third Team selection last season. Wilson is a two-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree and was on the Julius Erving Award Watch List last season, when he posted seven double-doubles and led KU in rebounding 16 times and in scoring in seven contests.
Julius Erving attended UMass 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 (ABA) and was the league’s most recognizable player when it merged with the National Basketball Association (NBA) 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 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.
This list will be narrowed down to 10 in late January and five finalists will then be selected in late February and then presented to Julius Erving and the selection committee. The winner of this award will be presented on a to-be-determined date. Fan Voting will open up on Friday, October 28 and fans can vote for their favorite players in each of the three rounds.
For more information on the 2023 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award and the latest updates, log onto www.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #ErvingAward on Twitter and Instagram. Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on Friday, October 22.
2023 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award Candidates*
Name (school)
JALEN WILSON (KANSAS)
Julian Strawther (Gonzaga)
Jaime Jaquez Jr. (UCLA)
Timmy Allen (Texas)
Colby Jones (Xavier)
Dariq Whitehead (Duke)
Matthew Cleveland (Florida State)
Josiah-Jordan James (Tennessee)
Tyler Wahl (Wisconsin)
Baylor Scheierman (Creighton)
Harrison Ingram (Stanford)
Chris Livingston (Kentucky)
Kevin Obanor (Texas Tech)
Caleb McConnell (Rutgers)
Brandon Miller (Alabama)
Pelle Larsson (Arizona)
Leaky Black (North Carolina)
Cam Whitmore (Villanova)
Jamison Battle ( Minnesota)
Jordan Walsh (Arkansas)
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2021-22 season*
