Jaquez Jr. Among Five Finalists for Julius Erving Award
March 08, 2023 | Men's Basketball
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – UCLA senior Jaime Jaquez Jr. has been named as one of five finalists for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award, as announced on Wednesday by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Jaquez Jr., who was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year on Tuesday, has been selected as one of five finalists for the Julius Erving Award for the second consecutive season. He leads UCLA's team in scoring (17.5 ppg) and rebounding (8.0 rpg) and has totaled seven double-doubles in 31 contests this season. In addition, he ranks fourth in the Pac-12 in scoring and fifth in rebounding.
The award is named after Julius Erving, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993 and spent 16 years in the NBA. The annual honor is now in its ninth year recognizing the top small forwards in Division I men's college basketball.
Jaquez Jr., a 6-foot-7 guard/forward from Camarillo, Calif., currently ranks No. 16 on UCLA's career scoring list (1,685 points) and rebounding list (786 rebounds). He also has moved into the No. 8 spot on UCLA's career steals list (168, tied with Jordan Adams).
The other four finalists for this season's Julius Erving Award include Brandon Miller (Alabama), Julian Strawther (Gonzaga), Jalen Wilson (Kansas), and Keyontae Johnson (Kansas State).
Jaquez Jr. is the only student-athlete on this season's list of five finalists to have been recognized during the 2021-22 season as a finalist.
The award's five finalists will be presented to Erving and the Hall of Fame's selection committee this month to determine the winner. The Selection Committee for the Julius Erving Award is composed of top men's college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers.
The winner of the 2023 Julius Erving Award will be presented on a date-to-be-determined, along with the other four members of the men's basketball "starting five."
Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Award (point guard), Jerry West Award (shooting guard), Karl Malone Award (power forward) and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (center).
Previous winners of the Julius Erving Award are Wendell Moore Jr. of Duke (2022), Corey Kispert of Gonzaga (2021), Saddiq Bey of Villanova (2020), Rui Hachimura of Gonzaga (2019), Mikal Bridges of Villanova (2018), Josh Hart of Villanova (2017), Denzel Valentine of Michigan State (2016) and Stanley Johnson of Arizona (2015).
Finalists for the 2023 Julius Erving Award
Jaime Jaquez Jr. (UCLA)
Keyontae Johnson (Kansas State)
Brandon Miller (Alabama)
Julian Strawther (Gonzaga)
Jalen Wilson (Kansas)
