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Earlier this week, the watch list was released for this year’s Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award and two Big Ten players were fortunate enough to make the cut. They were Maryland’s Aaron Wiggins and Penn State’s Lamar Stevens. Both could be in line for very productive 2018-’19 seasons.
The award generally goes toward the best small forward in college basketball for a given season. Previous winners include Villanova’s Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart, Michigan State’s Denzel Valentine, and Arizona’s Stanley Johnson. The list is gradually narrowed during the course of the season until a winner is selected.
Julis Erving played for 16 years at the professional level and made the Hall of Fame in 1993. A national committee comprising top college basketball personnel determines the watch list of 20 candidates.
Other candidates include Duke’s Cam Reddish, Kentucky’s Keldon Johnson, Marquette’s Sam Hauser, and Oregon State’s Tres Tinkle. You can see the full list here.