Tyson Among Top 10 For Julius Erving Award
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Wednesday that California junior Jaylon Tyson is among the top 10 candidates for the 2024 Julius Erving Award.
Named after Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player Julius Erving, the annual honor, in its 10th year, recognizes the top small forward in Division I men's college basketball.
Tyson is averaging a Pac-12 Conference-leading 20.6 points along with 7.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game this season, making him just one of three players nationally – and the only player among the Erving Award’s top-10 candidates – to average those figures or better. Tyson has scored 20-plus points 13 times – including a stretch of six straight games to open conference play, along with a pair of 30-point efforts – and has totaled five double-doubles, four of which were 20-point, 10-rebound efforts. He’s also elevated his game against Pac-12 competition, averaging 22.0 PPG and 7.3 RPG.
In March, five finalists will be presented to Erving and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. 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. Cal fans can support Tyson in the remaining rounds by participating in fan voting, presented by Dell Technologies, starting Friday on hoophallawards.com. The fan vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process. Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point during the 2023-24 season.
The winner of the 2024 Julius Erving Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the other four members of the Men’s 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), in addition to the Women’s Starting Five.
JULIUS ERVING SMALL FORWARD OF THE YEAR AWARD: TOP-10 CANDIDATES
Jamison Battle, Ohio State
Keion Brooks Jr., Washington
Tucker DeVries, Drake
Harrison Ingram, North Carolina
David Jones, Memphis
Dillon Jones, Weber State
Dalton Knecht, Tennessee
Baylor Schelerman, Creighton
Jaylon Tyson, California
Anton Watson, Gonzaga