Senior
Kelan Martin has been named to the 20-member watch list for the 2018 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award. Named after Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player Julius Erving, the annual honor in its fourth year recognizes the top small forwards in Division I men's college basketball. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame made the announcement Wednesday, Oct. 18.
By mid-February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2018 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award will be narrowed to just 10. In March, five finalists will be presented to Mr. Erving and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. The winner of the 2018 Julius Erving Award will be presented at the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show presented by Wendy's in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 6, 2018. Broadcast information will be released at a later date.
Martin earned one of the spots on the preseason All-BIG EAST first team after averaging 16.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game a season ago. Those marks placed eighth and ninth, respectively, in the BIG EAST for the 2016-17 season. He shot 78 percent from the free throw line, also in the Top 10 among conference players.
The 6-7 forward from Louisville, Ky., scored 20 or more points in 10 games for the Bulldogs last season, and led the team in scoring 15 times. He has been voted an All-BIG EAST second team performer by the conference's head coaches following each of the past two seasons.
Martin enters the season with 1,304 career points, a total that already ranks 23
rd on Butler's all-time scoring list.
Previous winners of the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award include Josh Hart, Villanova (2017), Denzel Valentine, Michigan State (2016) and Stanley Johnson, Arizona (2015). For more information on the 2018 Julius Erving Award, log onto
www.HoophallAwards.com.
2018 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award Candidates
| Rawle Alkins |
Arizona |
| Kelan Martin |
Butler |
| Jacob Evans |
Cincinnati |
| Gary Trent Jr. |
Duke |
| Zach Norvell Jr. |
Gonzaga |
| Kevin Knox |
Kentucky |
| Deng Adel |
Louisville |
| Justin Jackson |
Maryland |
| Bruce Brown Jr. |
Miami |
| Miles Bridges |
Michigan St. |
| Tyler Hall |
Montana St |
| Jeffrey Carroll |
Oklahoma St. |
| Troy Brown Jr. |
Oregon |
| Vincent Edwards |
Purdue |
| De'Monte Buckingham |
Richmond |
| DJ Hogg |
Texas A&M |
| Kris Wilkes |
UCLA |
| Mikal Bridges |
Villanova |
| Markis McDuffie |
Wichita St. |
| Trevon Bluiett |
Xavier |
*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.
