Clarke is one of just two freshmen to earn preseason recognition on the West watch list
LEXINGTON – November 3, 2020
Kentucky men’s basketball freshman guard Terrence Clarke was named to the 2021 Jerry West Award watch list. The West Award is presented to the nation’s best shooting guard by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Clarke is one of 20 players on the preseason list and is joined by two other Southeastern Conference players. Also included were Alabama’s John Petty Jr. and Florida’s Scottie Lewis. He is one of only two freshmen on this year’s preseason list.
Named after Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Jerry West, this year’s award will be presented at the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show in April. The Wildcats’ Malik Monk won the award in 2017 after sinking 104 3-pointers and setting the UK freshman record with 754 points in a single season. He is the only Wildcat to win the award.
Clarke, a consensus five-star prospect, was ranked as high as No. 8 in the final Rivals rankings and one of the top shooting guards in the country. He was named to the Sports Illustrated All-American Third Team, earned Naismith All-American honorable mention and was selected to the McDonald’s All American Game, the Jordan Brand Classic and the Allen Iverson Roundball Classic.
The 6-foot-7 guard was a member of the Brewster Academy team that won the 2019 National Prep Championship. Clarke led his team back to the 2020 finals with a 34-3 record before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the rest of the event. For his efforts, Clarke was named to the New England Preparatory School Athletic Councill AAA Player of the Year and was a NEPSAC AAA First Team selection.
During his prep career, he averaged 16.2 points per game to go along with 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in the 2019 Nike Elite Youth Basketball League.
By mid-February, the watch list will be trimmed to 10 players. Five finalists will be revealed in late February with the winner being announced during the annual ESPN College Basketball Awards show on April 9. Fan voting will be a part of all three rounds of voting before a winner is announced.
