NORTHWEST NOTES: Nov. 5, 2020
Kispert named to
Erving Award Watch List
Gonzaga’s Corey Kispert was named to the Julius Erving Award Watch List Wednesday.
Named after Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player Julius Erving, the annual honor in its seventh 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.
Boise State’s leader in scoring and assists last season, Alston averaged 17.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, leading the Broncos to its eighth 20-win season in the last 10 years. He has appeared in 76 games during his career, already ranking among the school’s 1,000-point scorers. Alston initially declared for the 2020 NBA Draft, but withdrew his name in July, returning for his final season in the Blue and Orange.
Named after Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player Julius Erving, the annual honor — in its seventh year — recognizes the top small forwards in Division I men’s college basketball.
Kispert was a finalist for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award last season. He was named the DI-AAA ADA Men's Scholar Athlete of the Year, and was also tabbed USBWA All-District IX, NABC Second Team All-District 9 and WCC First Team. The senior earned Academic All-Conference honors for the second straight season in 2019-20. He was 11th in the West Coast Conference in points per game (13.9) and ninth in minutes played per game (32.9). The Edmonds, Wash., native led the team in three-point made field goals (78) and made 81 percent of his free-throws. He shot 43.8 percent from behind-the-arc last season.
College basketball fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2021 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award will be narrowed to just 10. In late February, five finalists will be presented to Mr. Erving and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee.
The winner of the 2021 Julius Erving Award will be presented on April 9, along with the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented 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. Gonzaga and Villanova are the only teams in the country that have had three players on the first three position award watch lists.
Former Zag standout Rui Hachimura won the award in 2019. Other previous winners of the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award include Saddiq Bey, Villanova (2020), Mikal Bridges, Villanova (2018), Josh Hart, Villanova (2017), Denzel Valentine, Michigan State (2016) and Stanley Johnson, Arizona (2015).
