SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Gonzaga's
Corey Kispert was named one of the 10 candidates for the 2020 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Wednesday.
Named after Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player Julius Erving, the annual honor in its seventh year recognizes the top small forwards in Division I men's college basketball. A national committee of college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates in November, which has now been narrowed to 10.
Kispert was a finalist for the award last season, and this season leads the West Coast Conference in scoring at 20.6 points per game. He is shooting a phenomenal 58.2 percent from the field, which is second in the conference. The senior tops the league making 3.1 three-pointers per game at a WCC-best 49 percentage (eighth in the nation). He is third in the conference shooting 67.7 percent inside-the-arc. Kispert is second in the WCC with an 89.4 free-throw percentage. He has scored in double-digits in all but one game this season, reaching 20 points eight times. The Edmonds, Wash., native, boasts a 110-10 career record in games he's appeared in. He's scored 1,300 points in career, and is eighth in GU history with 226 three-pointers.
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 50
th Anniversary All-Time Team.
In late February, five finalists will be presented to Mr. Erving and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. The winner of the 2021 Julius Erving Award will be presented April 9, along with the other four members of the Men's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented 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, in addition to the Women's Starting Five. College basketball fans can support their favorite players by participating in Fan Voting presented by Dell.
Previous winners of the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award include
Saddiq Bey, Villanova (2020),
Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga (2019),
Mikal Bridges, Villanova (2018),
Josh Hart, Villanova (2017),
Denzel Valentine, Michigan State (2016) and
Stanley Johnson, Arizona (2015).
For more information on the 2021 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 Jan. 29 on HoophallAwards.com.
2021 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award Candidates*
| Derrick Alston Jr. |
Boise State |
| Corey Kispert |
Gonzaga |
| Isaiah Livers |
Michigan |
| Aaron Henry |
Michigan State |
| Ron Harper Jr. |
Rutgers |
| Matt Mitchell |
San Diego State |
| Ziaire Williams |
Stanford |
| Yves Pons |
Tennessee |
| Terrence Shannon, Jr. |
Texas Tech |
| Sam Hauser |
Virginia |
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2020-21 season*
