Haws named a candidate for 2018 Jerry West Award

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today that BYU sophomore TJ Haws is among the 20 watch list members for the 2018 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award. 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 guards in Division I men’s college basketball. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.

“Jerry West is one of the best shooting guards to ever play the game and by far one of the most competitive personalities in the game as well,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “These 20 collegiate athletes have worked tirelessly to earn their spots on this watch list and have shown similar work ethics and skills as the esteemed Jerry West.”

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.

“Now in its fourth year, this award’s committee continually compiles a list of the best shooting guards in collegiate basketball,” said Jerry West, a 1979 inductee of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “It is truly an honor be associated with this award and I am looking forward to seeing the level of competitiveness and talent each of these candidates exhibits this upcoming season.”

Haws returns after a freshman season in which he earned All-West Coast Conference First Team honors and helped lead BYU to a 22-12 record and a bid to the NIT. The 6-foot-4 guard played in and started all 34 games while averaging 13.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.0 steal in 2016-17. The Alpine, Utah, native also hit a team-high 76 3-pointers, second all-time among BYU freshmen.

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 on Friday, April 6, 2018. Broadcast information will be released at a later date.

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.

*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2017-18 season*

About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was invented, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame promotes and preserves the game of basketball at every level – professional, collegiate and high school, for both men and women on the global stage.

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Basketball Hall of Fame Media Contact:
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