SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Gonzaga men's basketball's
Rui Hachimura was named one of 20 candidates for the 2019 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award Wednesday.
Named after Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player Julius Erving, the annual honor in its fifth year recognizes the top small forwards in Division I men's college basketball. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
Hachimura averaged 11.6 points per game, starting only twice during the 2017-18 season. He scored a team-high 12.9 points per West Coast Conference contest. The Toyama, Japan native was fourth in the conference shooting 56.8 percent from the field, and third shooting 60.3 percent from the field in league play.
Hachimura was named First Team All-West Coast Conference and Second Team District 9 by the NABC. He scored double-digits in 23 games this past season, reaching 20 points five times. He scored a career-high 25 points, with a career-high four blocks, in the Bulldogs' second round win over Ohio State in the NCAA Tournament. Hachimura grabbed 4.7 rebounds per game.
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 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.
By mid-February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2019 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 2019 Julius Erving Award will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy's in Los Angeles on April 12, along with the other four members of the Naismith Starting 5. Additional awards being presented and sponsored by Eaton Ephesus Lighting include the Bob Cousy Point Guard Award, the Jerry West Shooting Guard Award, the Karl Malone Power Forward Award and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center Award.
Previous winners of the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award include Mikal Bridges, Villanova (2018), Josh Hart, Villanova (2017), Denzel Valentine, Michigan State (2016) and Stanley Johnson, Arizona (2015).
On Monday,
Josh Perkins, was named one of 20 for the 2019 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year watch list, also by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Zach Norvell Jr. was named to the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year watch list. GU was one of six schools that had both guards named to watch lists, and one of only three programs to have three players on the first three Hall of Fame watch lists.
Gonzaga's exhibition against Central Washington is scheduled for 6 p.m., on Nov. 1. The first regular season game kicks off three consecutive home games and is on Nov. 6 at 6 p.m., against Idaho State.
2019 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award Candidates
| Dylan Windler |
Belmont |
| Cam Reddish |
Duke |
| Elijah Minnie |
Eastern Michigan |
| Rui Hachimura |
Gonzaga |
| Keldon Johnson |
Kentucky |
| Sam Hauser |
Marquette |
| Aaron Wiggins |
Maryland |
| Caleb Martin |
Nevada |
| Nassir Little |
North Carolina |
| Louis King |
Oregon |
| Tres Tinkle |
Oregon St |
| Lamar Stevens |
Penn St |
| O'Shea Brissett |
Syracuse |
| Admiral Schofield |
Tennessee |
| Jordon Varnado |
Troy |
| Kris Wilkes |
UCLA |
| De'Andre Hunter |
Virginia |
| Jaylen Hoard |
Wake Forest |
| Matisse Thybulle |
Washington |
| Robert Franks Jr. |
Washington St. |
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2018-19 season*
