Tuesday, January 30, 2024

- Top Male Collegiate Shooting Guards Named as Contenders for “Naismith Starting Five” -

SPRINGFIELD, MASS. — The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced the Top 10 candidates for the 2024 Jerry West Award. 

Named after Class of 1980 Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player Jerry West, the annual honor, in its 10th year, recognizes the top shooting guards in Division I men’s college basketball. 

2024 Jerry West Award Candidates* 

Caleb Love

Arizona

Kevin McCullar Jr.

Kansas

Ja’Kobe Walter

Baylor

Antonio Reeves

Kentucky

Trey Alexander

Creighton

Tyson Walker

Michigan State

Johnell Davis

FAU

RJ Davis

North Carolina

LJ Cryer

Houston

Boogie Ellis

USC

*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2023-24 season.

Fans can support their favorite players in the remaining rounds by participating in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, starting Friday, February 2, 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 West and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The Selection Committee for the Jerry West 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 2024 Jerry West 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), Julius Erving Award (Small Forward), Karl Malone Award (Power Forward), and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (Center), in addition to the Women’s Starting Five.

Previous winners of the Jerry West Award are Marcus Sasser, Houston (2023), Johnny Davis, Wisconsin (2022), Chris Duarte, Oregon (2021), Myles Powell, Seton Hall (2020), RJ Barrett, Duke (2019), Carsen Edwards, Purdue (2018), Malik Monk, Kentucky (2017), Buddy Hield, Oklahoma (2016), and D’Angelo Russell, Ohio State (2015). 

For more information on the 2024 Jerry West Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophallU and #WestAward on Twitter and Instagram.

 

About the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame 

Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit hoophall.com, follow @hoophall and or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.