Malik Newman named to Jerry West Award watch list
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Kansas sophomore Malik Newman has been named one of 20 candidates for the 2018 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Tuesday.
Named after Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player Jerry West, the annual honor, in its fourth year, recognizes the top shooting guard in Division I men’s college basketball. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
The 2017-18 Preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and preseason honorable mention all-conference selection, Newman transferred to Kansas from Mississippi State following the 2015-16 season. The Jackson, Mississippi, native averaged 11.3 points and started 22 of 29 games at Mississippi State his freshman season. He scored a career-high 25 points against Ole Miss (Jan. 23, 2016) which included seven 3-point field goals made.
This past August Newman led Kansas in scoring in its 4-0 exhibition trip to Italy averaging 18.5 points per game. Included was a 32-point effort in the finale against the Italy All-Stars.
By mid-February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2018 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award will be narrowed to just 10. In March, five finalists will be presented to Mr. West and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2018 Jerry West Award will be presented at the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show presented by Wendy’s in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 6, 2018.
Jerry West attended West Virginia University and averaged 24.8 points and 13.3 rebounds per game in his three varsity seasons. He led his team to the NCAA Championship game in 1959 and was named a consensus All-American in 1959 and 1960. In the summer of 1960, he was co-captain of the U.S. men’s basketball team and won an Olympic gold medal. As a professional player, West played 14 seasons in the NBA with the Lakers making the All-NBA First Team 10 times. West won an NBA championship in 1972 and was named the NBA Finals MVP in 1969 despite his team not winning the championship. In 1996, he was named a member of the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.
Previous winners of the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award include Malik Monk, Kentucky (2017), Buddy Hield, Oklahoma (2016) and D’Angelo Russell, Ohio State (2015).
For more information on the 2018 Jerry West Award, log onto www.HoophallAwards.com.
2018 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award Candidates
Allonzo Trier – Arizona
Mustapha Heron – Auburn
Jerome Robinson – Boston College
TJ Haws – BYU
Marcus Foster – Creighton
Grayson Allen – Duke
KeVaughn Allen – Florida
Rob Gray – Houston
MALIK NEWMAN – KANSAS
Hamidou Diallo – Kentucky
Bruce Brown Jr. – Miami
Lonnie Walker – Miami
Quinndary Weatherspoon – Mississippi St.
E.C. Matthews – Rhode Island
Khadeen Carrington – Seton Hall
Shamorie Ponds – St. John’s
Tyus Battle – Syracuse
Andrew Jones – Texas
De’Anthony Melton – USC
Daxter Miles Jr. – West Virginia
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2017-18 season*
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