Top Collegiate Shooting Guards in the Nation Named to Watch List
SPRINGFIELD, MASS. – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today the sixteen watch list members for the 2015 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award. Named after Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player Jerry West, the annual honor in its inaugural year recognizes the top shooting guards in Division I men’s college basketball. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 16 candidates.
“As one of the best jump shooters to play the game, Jerry West’s drive for perfection is what set him apart,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “He is a basketball icon and we are delighted to be awarding this honor in his name.”
Jerry West attended the 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 fourteen seasons in the NBA with the Lakers making the All-NBA First Team ten 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 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.
“I’m honored with be associated with this award” said Jerry West, a 1979 inductee of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “The sixteen shooting guards on this list have worked extremely hard to get to this point and it’s nice to see the Basketball Hall of Fame recognize them for their efforts.”
By early March, the current list of 16 finalists for the 2015 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award will be narrowed down to five players. The final five players in contention for the award will be presented to Mr. West and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2015 Jerry West Award will be presented at the new ESPN College Basketball Awards Show live from Club Nokia in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 10, 2015.
For more information on the 2015 Jerry West Award, log onto www.HoophallAwards.com.
2015 Jerry West Award Candidates
Tyler Haws, Brigham Young University
Tyler Harvey, Eastern Washington University
James Blackmon Jr., University of Indiana
Sheldon McClellan, University of Miami
Rashad Vaughn, UNLV
Trevor Lacey, North Carolina State University
Jerian Grant, University of Notre Dame
D’Angelo Russell, Ohio State University
Buddy Hield, University of Oklahoma
Joseph Young, University of Oregon
D’Angelo Harrison, St. John’s University
Chasson Randle, Stanford University
Malcolm Brogdon, University of Virginia
Ron Baker, Wichita State University
Marcus Thornton, College of William & Mary
E.C. Matthews, University of Rhode Island
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