Louisville’s Nwora Among Watch List Candidates for Erving Award
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — University of Louisville forward Jordan Nwora is among 20 watch list members for the 2020 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award as announced today by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Named after Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player Julius Erving, the annual honor in its sixth 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.
Nwora has received considerable acclaim as the 2019-20 season approaches, including being selected as the 2019 ACC Preseason Player of the Year. He has been named a first-team preseason All-American by NBC Sports, Athlons, the Blue Ribbon Basketball Yearbook and a second team selection by Street & Smith’s Basketball Yearbook. He was noted as the top small forward in the nation by NCAA.com’s Andy Katz.
Honored as the 2019 ACC Most Improved Player, Nwora was the third-most improved scorer in the nation last season with his 17.0 scoring average (sixth in the ACC), up 11.3 points per game from his 5.7 average as a freshman. The All-ACC third team selection is one of five players in the ACC who scored 20 or more points on at least 13 occasions last season. Nwora scored in double figures in 31 of 34 games and produced nine double-doubles last season.
A junior from Buffalo, N.Y., Nwora was UofL’s leader in scoring and rebounding (7.7 rpg, ninth in the ACC). He was also among the ACC leaders in field goal percentage (.446, 12th), three-point field goal percentage (.374, ninth), three-pointers made per game (2.3, 11th), defensive rebounds (6.44 per game, fourth) and minutes played (31.9 per game, 21st).
Julius Erving attended the University of Massachusetts and averaged 26.3 points and 20.2 rebounds per game, making him one of only six NCAA men’s basketball players to average more than 20 points and 20 rebounds per game. After two seasons, Erving made the jump to the American Basketball Association and was the league’s most recognizable player when it merged with the National Basketball Association in 1976. During his professional career, Erving won three championships, four most valuable player awards and three scoring titles. In 1996, he was named a member of the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.
New to the award this season is Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. By mid-February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2020 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award will be narrowed to just 10. In March, five finalists will be presented to Mr. Erving and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2020 Julius Erving Award will be presented at TheCollegeBasketballAwardspresented by Wendy’s in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 10, 2020, along with the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five.
Additional awards being presented and receiving support from Eaton Ephesus Lighting include the Bob Cousy Point Guard Award, the Jerry West Shooting Guard Award, the Karl Malone Power Forward Award and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center Award, in addition to the Women’s Starting Five. Broadcast information will be released by ESPN at a later date.
Previous winners of the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award include 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 2020 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award and the latest updates, log onto www.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall on Twitter and Instagram. Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on Friday, October 18.
2020 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award Candidates*
| Josh Green | Arizona |
| Matthew Hurt | Duke |
| Scottie Lewis | Florida |
| Corey Kispert | Gonzaga |
| Seth Towns | Harvard |
| Xavier Sneed | Kansas State |
| Kahlil Whitney | Kentucky |
| Jordan Nwora | Louisville |
| Precious Achiuwa | Memphis |
| Tres Tinkle | Oregon St. |
| Alpha Diallo | Providence |
| Nojel Eastern | Purdue |
| LJ Figueroa | St. John’s |
| Elijah Hughes | Syracuse |
| Chris Clarke | Texas Tech |
| Anthony Lamb | Vermont |
| Saddiq Bey | Villanova |
| Jaden McDaniels | Washington |
| CJ Elleby | Washington State |
| Naji Marshall | Xavier |
*Playerscanplaytheirwayontoandoffofthelistatanypointinthe 2019-20 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 and #ErvingAward or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.