Washington State University Athletics
CJ Elleby Named To Julius Erving Watch List
October 16, 2019 | Men's Basketball
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Washington State men's basketball sophomore CJ Elleby has been named to the 20-member 2020 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award Watch List, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced, Wednesday. Elleby follows in the footsteps of graduated star Robert Franks who was named to the watch list prior to the 2018-19 season.
Elleby is one of four Pac-12 student-athletes named to the list, as he's joined by Arizona's Josh Green, Oregon State's Tres Tinkle, and Washington's Jaden McDaniels.Â
The second-year Coug is coming off one of the most successful freshman campaigns in program history as the Seattle native finished last season averaging 14.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. He would go on to set the program's freshman scoring record with 471 points in 32 contests, breaking Steve Puidokas' 45-year-old freshman scoring record. In addition to his scoring, Elleby finished second all-time among Cougar freshman in rebounds (227), scoring average (14.7 ppg), and field goals (168), while finishing top-10 in eight other season categories. For his play, Elleby was named to the Preseason All-Pac-12 First Team in the inaugural season of the award.
The Julius Erving Small Forward Award is named after class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year-old 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 comprising top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
"The Starting Five represents our five positional awards that bring together the best in college game today and the Hall of Famers who have paved the way, such as Julius Erving" said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. "Our selection committee has put together an outstanding watch list with talent from across the country, which should inspire fans from coast-to-coast to get involved and vote for their favorite athletes. We're excited to watch this season unfold!"
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 The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy's in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 10, 2020, along with the other four members of the Men's Starting Five.
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.
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.
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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).
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
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2019-20 season*
Elleby is one of four Pac-12 student-athletes named to the list, as he's joined by Arizona's Josh Green, Oregon State's Tres Tinkle, and Washington's Jaden McDaniels.Â
The second-year Coug is coming off one of the most successful freshman campaigns in program history as the Seattle native finished last season averaging 14.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. He would go on to set the program's freshman scoring record with 471 points in 32 contests, breaking Steve Puidokas' 45-year-old freshman scoring record. In addition to his scoring, Elleby finished second all-time among Cougar freshman in rebounds (227), scoring average (14.7 ppg), and field goals (168), while finishing top-10 in eight other season categories. For his play, Elleby was named to the Preseason All-Pac-12 First Team in the inaugural season of the award.
The Julius Erving Small Forward Award is named after class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year-old 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 comprising top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
"The Starting Five represents our five positional awards that bring together the best in college game today and the Hall of Famers who have paved the way, such as Julius Erving" said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. "Our selection committee has put together an outstanding watch list with talent from across the country, which should inspire fans from coast-to-coast to get involved and vote for their favorite athletes. We're excited to watch this season unfold!"
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 The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy's in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 10, 2020, along with the other four members of the Men's Starting Five.
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.
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.
Â
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).
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
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2019-20 season*
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