Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Narrows Watch List for 2019 Jerry West Award

Top Ten Collegiate Shooting Guards Named as Candidates for the “Naismith Starting 5”

Springfield, Mass. — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today the 10 candidates for the 2019 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award. Named after Class of 1980 Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player Jerry West, the annual honor in its fifth year recognizes the top shooting guards in Division I men’s college basketball. A national committee comprising top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates in October, which has now been narrowed to just 10.

“The Naismith Starting 5 represents our five positional awards and serves as a tie between the best in college game today and the Hall of Famers who have paved the way,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “To be named to the top ten for any positional award is an immense honor and we look forward to the unique insights of Jerry West as a player, coach and executive as we trim this list further next month.”

Jerry West attended West Virginia University and averaged 24.8 points and 13.3 rebounds per game in his three varsity seasons. He led his team to the NCAA Championship game in 1959 and was named a consensus All-American in 1959 and 1960. In the summer of 1960, he was co-captain of the U.S. men’s basketball team and won an Olympic gold medal. As a professional player, West played 14 seasons in the NBA with the Lakers making the All-NBA First Team 10 times. West won an NBA championship in 1972 and was named the NBA Finals MVP in 1969 despite his team not winning the championship. In 1996, he was named a member of the NBA’s 50^th Anniversary All-Time Team.

In March, five finalists will be presented to Mr. West and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee.  The winner of the 2019 Jerry West Award will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy’s in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 12, 2019, 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 Julius Erving Small Forward Award, the Karl Malone Power Forward Award and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center Award. Broadcast information will be released by ESPN at a later date.

Previous winners of the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award include Carsen Edwards, Purdue (2018), Malik Monk, Kentucky (2017), Buddy Hield, Oklahoma (2016) and D’Angelo Russell, Ohio State (2015).

For more information and the latest updates on the 2019 Jerry West Award, log onto www.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #WestAward on Twitter and Instagram.

2019 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award Candidates 

*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2018-19 season*

About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Memorial 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 www.hoophall.com, follow @hoophall or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.