De’Andre Hunter a Top 10 Candidate for 2019 Julius Erving Award

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Forward De’Andre Hunter (Philadelphia, Pa.) was named one of the 10 candidates for the 2019 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced on Wednesday (Feb. 6).
 
Named after Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player Julius Erving, the annual honor in its fifth year recognizes the top small forwards in Division I men’s college basketball. A national committee comprising top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates in October, which has now been narrowed to just 10.
 
Hunter currently leads Virginia with 14.7 points per game and has led in scoring in 11 contests. He is shooting 52.9 percent from the field, 43.2 percent from 3-point range and 77.5 percent from the free throw line. Hunter has four, 20-point games in 2018-19 (Coppin State, Dayton, Wisconsin, Virginia Tech). He earned Battle 4 Atlantis MVP honors and ACC Player of the Week accolades after averaging 19.3 points and 7.7 rebounds in the tournament.
 
“Julius Erving is well-known for his flare and competitive spirit which have made him one of the most admired and respected in the game across all generations,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “The Naismith Starting 5 committee aims to recognize the student-athlete whose game most closely mirrors Dr. J and we’re now one step closer by cutting our watch list to down to the highly anticipated top ten.”
 
In March, five finalists will be presented to Mr. Erving and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2019 Julius Erving Award will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy’s in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 12, 2019, along with the other four members of the Naismith Starting 5. Additional awards being presented and receiving support from Eaton Ephesus Lighting include the Bob Cousy Point Guard Award, the Jerry West Shooting Guard Award, the Karl Malone Power Forward Award and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center Award. Broadcast information will be released by ESPN at a later date.
 
Previous winners of the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award include Mikal Bridges, Villanova (2018), Josh Hart, Villanova (2017), Denzel Valentine, Michigan State (2016) and Stanley Johnson, Arizona (2015).
 
For more information and the latest updates on the 2019 Julius Erving Award, log onto www.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #ErvingAward on Twitter and Instagram.
 
2019 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award Candidates