Courtesy of GoXavier.com
CINCINNATI – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today that Xavier University sophomore Trevon Bluiett is among the 10 watch list finalists for the 2016 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award. Named after Hall of Famer and 11-time NBA All-Star Julius Erving, the annual honor in its second year recognizes the 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 in October, which has now been narrowed to just ten.
“As a small forward, Julius Erving excelled at both the collegiate and professional level for nearly thirty years,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “Dr. J is one of the most gifted athletes to ever play the game of basketball and it only seems right that this award would bear his name.”
Bluiett leads No. 6/5 Xavier, 19-2 overall and 7-2 in the BIG EAST Conference, in scoring at 15.4 ppg., which ranks eighth in the BIG EAST Conference. Bluiett also leads the team in 3-point field goals made (fourth in the BIG EAST at 2.3 mpg.) and 3-point field goal percentage (ninth in the BIG EAST at .387). Bluiett is third on the team in rebounding at 6.6 rpg. (13th in the BIG EAST) and is second on the team and eighth in the BIG EAST in free-throw percentage at 82.3 percent. He has scored in double figures in 20 of the first 21 games, including each of the last 11 games.
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, Erving was named a member of the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team and in 1993 he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
In March, five finalists will be presented to Mr. Erving and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee for the 2016 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award. The winner of the 2016 Julius Erving Award will be presented at the ESPN College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy’s from Club Nokia in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 8, 2016. Broadcast information will be released at a later date. For more information on the 2016 Julius Erving Award, log onto www.HoophallAwards.com.
2016 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award Finalists
Trevon Bluiett, Xavier
Denzel Valentine, Michigan State
Brandon Ingram, Duke
Wayne Selden, Jr., Kansas
Roosevelt Jones, Butler
Damion Lee, Louisville
Ben Simmons, Louisiana State
Dillon Brooks, Oregon
DeAndre Bembry, Saint Joseph’s
Nigel Hayes, Wisconsin
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