SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – UCLA freshman Kris Wilkes has been named as one of 20 players selected to the watch list for the 2018 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award, as announced Wednesday.
 
Named after Hall of Fame and 16-year professional basketball player Julius Erving, the annual honor (now in its fourth year) recognizes the nation's top small forwards in Division I men's college basketball. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
 
Wilkes, who stands at 6-foot-8, was a four-year standout at North Central High School in Indianapolis, Ind., before securing McDonald's All-America honors as a senior in 2016-17. In addition, Wilkes was named 2017 Mr. Basketball for the state of Indiana, an awarded annually presented to the nation's top high school basketball talent. As a senior, he averaged 22.1 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
 
Wilkes was rated as the No. 17 player in his high school class, nationally, by Scout.com. He was also ranked No. 20, nationally, by Rivals.com and No. 24 by ESPN.com. He was twice named the Marion County Player of the Year in the state of Indiana.
 
By mid-February of 2018, the award's watch list of 20 players 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 2018 Julius Irving Award will be presented to the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show in Los Angeles on Friday, April 6.
 
Previous winners of the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award include Josh Hart (2017, Villanova), Buddy Hield (2016, Oklahoma) and D'Angelo Russell (2015, Ohio State).
 
2018 Julius Irving Award Candidates
 
Rawle Alkins (Arizona)
Kelan Martin (Butler)
Jacob Evans (Cincinnati)
Gary Trent Jr. (Duke)
Zach Norvell Jr. (Gonzaga)
Kevin Knox (Kentucky)
Deng Adel (Louisville)
Justin Jackson (Maryland)
Bruce Brown Jr. (Miami)
Miles Bridges (Michigan State)
Tyler Hall (Montana State)
Jeffrey Carroll (Oklahoma State)
Troy Brown Jr. (Oregon)
Vincent Edwards (Purdue)
De'Monte Buckingham (Richmond)
DJ Hogg (Texas A&M)
Kris Wilkes (UCLA)
Mikal Bridges (Villanova)
Markis McDuffie (Wichita State)
Trevon Bluiett (Xavier)
 
*note: players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2017-18 season