Alston Among National Award Finalists
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Boise State redshirt junior Derrick Alston, Jr. was named one of 10 finalists for the 2020 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Wednesday. Named after Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player Julius Erving, the annual honor in its sixth year recognizes the top small forwards in Division I men’s college basketball.
Alston is averaging 19.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, leading the Broncos to a 16-8 record and second place in the Mountain West with six games left in the regular season. He has scored at least 20 points in 13 games this season.
A former walk-on, Alston has blossomed into one of the top players in the country. After redshirting as a true freshman and playing 26 total minutes as a redshirt freshman, the Houston native burst onto the scene last year, averaging 13.4 points per game and earning honorable mention All-Mountain West accolades. He was named the the five-man Preseason All-MW Team headed into this year.
In March, five finalists will be presented to Mr. Erving and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2020 Julius Erving Award will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy’s in Los Angeles, on Friday, April 10.
New this year is a fan vote presented by Dell Technologies. Starting Friday (Feb. 7), fans will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite players at hoophallawards.com. The top five players in the fan vote will get an additional vote towards making the next round.
The Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award is one of five national honors that comprise the "Naismith Starting Five." The other four are named for Bob Cousy (point guard), Jerry West (shooting guard), Karl Malone (power forward) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (center).
Former Bronco Chandler Hutchison was named a top-10 finalist for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award as a senior in 2017-18. Anthony Drmic was named to the preseason top-20
Alston and the Broncos return to action Saturday, at Utah State. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. MT and will be televised on CBS Sports Network. The team has three home games remaining. Tickets can be purchased by visiting BroncoSports.com/tickets, calling 208-426-4737 or stopping by the Boise State Athletic Ticket Office on the west side of Albertsons Stadium.
2020 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award Candidates*
Derrick Alston Jr. Boise State
Devin Vassell Florida State
Corey Kispert Gonzaga
Jordan Nwora Louisville
Precious Achiuwa Memphis
Tres Tinkle Oregon St.
Elijah Hughes Syracuse
Anthony Lamb Vermont
Saddiq Bey Villanova
Naji Marshall Xavier
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2019-20 season*
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Boise State redshirt junior Derrick Alston, Jr. was named one of 10 finalists for the 2020 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Wednesday. Named after Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player Julius Erving, the annual honor in its sixth year recognizes the top small forwards in Division I men’s college basketball.
Alston is averaging 19.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, leading the Broncos to a 16-8 record and second place in the Mountain West with six games left in the regular season. He has scored at least 20 points in 13 games this season.
A former walk-on, Alston has blossomed into one of the top players in the country. After redshirting as a true freshman and playing 26 total minutes as a redshirt freshman, the Houston native burst onto the scene last year, averaging 13.4 points per game and earning honorable mention All-Mountain West accolades. He was named the the five-man Preseason All-MW Team headed into this year.
In March, five finalists will be presented to Mr. Erving and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2020 Julius Erving Award will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy’s in Los Angeles, on Friday, April 10.
New this year is a fan vote presented by Dell Technologies. Starting Friday (Feb. 7), fans will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite players at hoophallawards.com. The top five players in the fan vote will get an additional vote towards making the next round.
The Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award is one of five national honors that comprise the "Naismith Starting Five." The other four are named for Bob Cousy (point guard), Jerry West (shooting guard), Karl Malone (power forward) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (center).
Former Bronco Chandler Hutchison was named a top-10 finalist for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award as a senior in 2017-18. Anthony Drmic was named to the preseason top-20
Alston and the Broncos return to action Saturday, at Utah State. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. MT and will be televised on CBS Sports Network. The team has three home games remaining. Tickets can be purchased by visiting BroncoSports.com/tickets, calling 208-426-4737 or stopping by the Boise State Athletic Ticket Office on the west side of Albertsons Stadium.
2020 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award Candidates*
Derrick Alston Jr. Boise State
Devin Vassell Florida State
Corey Kispert Gonzaga
Jordan Nwora Louisville
Precious Achiuwa Memphis
Tres Tinkle Oregon St.
Elijah Hughes Syracuse
Anthony Lamb Vermont
Saddiq Bey Villanova
Naji Marshall Xavier
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2019-20 season*
