SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Gonzaga's
Julian Strawther was named to the Julius Erving Award Watch List Wednesday.
Named after Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player Julius Erving, the annual honor in its ninth year recognizes 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.
Strawther was recently named Preseason All-West Conference. He averaged 11.8 points per game, reaching double-digits 21 times last season. He started 31 of the Zags' 32 games in 2021-22. Following the regular season, he was tabbed All-WCC Honorable Mention.
Strawther scored a career-high 20 points twice, versus Duke and BYU. Against Duke on Nov. 26 in his hometown of Las Vegas, he added 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. He grabbed a season-high 12 boards against Tarleton State.
Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds beginning Friday, October 28. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2023 Julius Erving Award will be narrowed to 10 and then in late February to just five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Erving and the Hall of Fame's selection committee where a winner will be selected.
The winner of the 2023 Julius Erving 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), Jerry West Award (Shooting Guard), Karl Malone Award (Power Forward) and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (Center), in addition to the Women's Starting Five.
Previous winners of the Julius Erving Award are Wendell Moore Jr, (Duke, 2022),
Corey Kispert, Gonzaga (2021), 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).
2023 Julius Erving Award Candidates*
| Brandon Miller |
Alabama |
Leaky Black |
North Carolina |
| Pelle Larsson |
Arizona |
Caleb McConnell |
Rutgers |
| Jordan Walsh |
Arkansas |
Harrison Ingram |
Stanford |
| Baylor Scheierman |
Creighton |
Josiah Jordan-James |
Tennessee |
| Dariq Whitehead |
Duke |
Timmy Allen |
Texas |
| Matthew Cleveland |
Florida State |
Kevin Obanor |
Texas Tech |
| Julian Strawther |
Gonzaga |
Jaime Jaquez Jr. |
UCLA |
| Jalen Wilson |
Kansas |
Cam Whitmore |
Villanova |
| Chris Livingston |
Kentucky |
Tyler Wahl |
Wisconsin |
| Jamison Battle |
Minnesota |
Colby Jones |
Xavier |
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2022-23 season*
