Louisville F Jordan Nwora has had a very good year and has, for the most part, met expectations. The 6’7 junior has averaged 19.3 points per game and 7.4 rebounds per game. He’s shooting 46.2% from the field, 43.7% from the three-point line, and 81.1% from the free throw line.
His stats, and Louisville’s winning streak, have kept Nwora in the conversation for many of the top college basketball awards. One of those awards is the Julius Erving Award for the nation’s top college basketball small forward. The Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award has placed 10 candidates for the award on a new watch list and Nwora was among those names.
Joining Nwora on the list are Derrick Alston, Jr. of Boise State, Devin Vassell of Florida State, Corey Kispert of Gonzaga, Precious Achiuwa of Memphis, Tres Trinkle of Oregon State, Elijah Hughes of Syracuse, Anthony Lamb of Vermont, Saddiq Bey of Villanova, and Naji Marshall of Xavier. The watch list was narrowed down from 20 listed in the preseason.
Nwora will definitely have a good shot at winning this award with the wins Louisville has accumulated as a team and the stats he has contributed thus far in those victories.
For more information on Jordan Nwora and his candidacy for the Julius Erving Award, check out the press release from UofL below.
PRESS RELEASE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT:
Louisville’s Nwora Among Top 10 for Julius Erving Award
Preseason ACC Player of the Year among top ten collegiate small forwards by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — University of Louisville forward Jordan Nwora has been named as one of the top 10 candidates for the 2020 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award today by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Named after 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.
Nwora is joined on the top ten list by Derrick Alston Jr., Boise State; Devin Vassell, Florida State; Corey Kispert, Gonzaga; Precious Achiuwa, Memphis; Tres Tinkle, Oregon State; Elijah Hughes, Syracuse; Anthony Lamb, Vermont; Saddiq Bey, Villanova; and Naji Marshall, Xavier. A national committee of top college basketball personnel narrowed down the watch list from 20 to 10 candidates.
The preseason ACC Player of the Year and first team AP All-America selection, Nwora is currently second in the ACC in scoring (19.3 ppg), seventh in field goal perentage (.460) and 10th in rebounding (rpg). His 424 points this year is the second-most by a UofL player through 22 games over the last 20 seasons. His career-high 37 points at Boston College was the tied for the seventh-most ever scored at Louisville and marked his 11th game this season and 24th in the last two years scoring 20 or more. He is seventh in the KenPom Player of the Year standings.
Nwora became the Cardinals’ 69th career 1,000-point scorer on Jan. 4 and is the 39th UofL player to score 1,000 points in his first three seasons at UofL. His 1,160 points currently ranks 47th in career scoring at UofL.
“The Starting Five represents our five positional awards that bring together the best in college game today and the Hall of Famers who have paved the way, such as Julius Erving” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “Our selection committee has put together an outstanding top ten watch list with talent from across the country, which should inspire fans from coast-to-coast to get involved and vote for their favorite athletes.”
Julius Erving attended the University of Massachusetts and averaged 26.3 points and 20.2 rebounds per game, making him one of only six NCAA men’s basketball players to average more than 20 points and 20 rebounds per game. After two seasons, Erving made the jump to the American Basketball Association and was the league’s most recognizable player when it merged with the National Basketball Association in 1976. During his professional career, Erving won three championships, four most valuable player awards and three scoring titles. In 1996, he was named a member of the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.
Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on Friday, February 7via hoophallawards.com. 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, CA on Friday, April 10, 2020, along with the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five.
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, in addition to the Women’s Starting Five. Broadcast information will be released by ESPN at a later date.
Previous winners of the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award include Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga (2019), Mikal Bridges, Villanova (2018), Josh Hart, Villanova (2017), Denzel Valentine, Michigan State (2016) and Stanley Johnson, Arizona (2015).
For more information on the 2020 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award and the latest updates, log onto www.hoophallawards.comand follow @hoophall and #ErvingAward on Twitter and Instagram.
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo “Court of Dreams.” Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit www.hoophall.com, follow @hoophall and or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.
