SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Gonzaga's Julian Strawther was named one of the 10 candidates for the 2023 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 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 in November, which has now been narrowed to 10.
 
Strawther is the Zags' second leading scorer averaging 14.4 points per game, which ranks 14^th in the West Coast Conference. He's shooting 47.6 percent from the field. The junior has made 52 three-pointers at 41.9 percent from behind-the-arc, which are 10^th and eighth in the WCC. Strawther, a Las Vegas native, is also 10^th in the league pulling down 6.8 rebounds per game.
 
Strawther racked up a career-high 40 points in Gonzaga's 82-67 win at Portland. His previous career-high was 23 points was set in Portland earlier this season against Xavier with a then career-high five made threes. At Portland, the junior made 14 of his 21 shots from the field, including eight of 12 from behind-the-arc. His eight made threes were the most since Corey Kispert matched Dan Dickau and Kevin Pangos program record of nine against Virginia in the 2020-21 season.
 
Fans can support their favorite players in the remaining rounds by participating in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, starting Friday, February 10, on hoophallawards.com. The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.
 
In March, five finalists will be presented to Erving and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. The Selection Committee for the Julius Erving Award is composed of top men's college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers.
 
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).
 
For more information on the 2023 Julius Erving Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #ErvingAward on Twitter and Instagram.
 
2023 Julius Erving Award Candidates*

Brandon Miller	Alabama	Keyontae Johnson	Kansas State
Baylor Scheierman	Creighton	Brice Sensabaugh	Ohio State
Matthew Cleveland	Florida State	Kevin Obanor	Texas Tech
Julian Strawther	Gonzaga	Jaime Jaquez Jr.	UCLA
Jalen Wilson	Kansas	Colby Jones	Xavier

*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2022-23 season.