UCLA's Jaquez Jr. Named to Erving Award Watch List

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – UCLA junior Jaime Jaquez Jr. has been named to the 20-person watch list for this season's Julius Erving Award, presented each year to the nation's top small forward.
 
Jaquez Jr. becomes the third UCLA player in as many days to be named to a positional watch list, as announced by the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame. Tyger Campbell has been listed to the Bob Cousy Award watch list (point guard), and Johnny Juzang has been named to the Jerry West Award watch list (shooting guard).
 
Jaquez Jr., a 6-foot-7 guard/forward from Camarillo, Calif., averaged 12.6 points and a team-best 6.1 rebounds per game in all 32 contests for the Bruins in 2020-21. He shot 48.6 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from 3-point distance. Jaquez Jr. led UCLA in rebounds (195), steals (39) and blocks (22, tied with Cody Riley).
 
A second-team All-Pac-12 selection last season, Jaquez Jr. finished the year ninth in the league in rebounding (6.1 rpg). He scored in double figures in 21 of 32 games and recorded at least 10 rebounds in three contests. Jaquez Jr. averaged 15.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in UCLA's six NCAA Tournament contests. He shot 45 percent from 3-point range in the NCAA Tournament, helping propel the Bruins to the Final Four for the first time since 2008.
 
Jaquez Jr. is one of three Pac-12 players on this 20-person watch list, accompanied by Colorado's Jabari Walker and Stanford's Harrison Ingram.
 
The 2021-22 season will mark the eighth year in which the Julius Erving Award recognizes the nation's top small forward. The award honors the contributions of University of Massachusetts standout Julius Erving, who averaged 26.3 points and 20.2 rebounds in his collegiate career. During his professional career, Erving won three championships, four MVP awards and three scoring titles. In 1996, he was named a member of the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. Gonzaga's Corey Kispert was honored as the Julius Erving Award winner in 2020-21.
 
College basketball fans can participate in fan voting, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds. In late January, the watch list of 20 players will be narrowed to 10 and then in late February, to just five. The five finalists will be presented in March 2022, before the Hall of Fame's selection committee, where a winner will be selected.
 
The winner of this season's award will be presented on a date (to be determined) along with the other four members of the "men's starting five," including the Bob Cousy Point Guard Award, the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award, the Karl Malone Power Forward Award and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center Award.
 
For more information on this season's Julius Erving Award, and all the latest updates, log onto www.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #ErvingAward on Twitter and Instagram. The "starting five" fan voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on Friday, Oct. 22.

2021-22 Julius Erving Award Watch List