SPRINGFIELD, Mass.–The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Tuesday the 20 watch-list members for the 2024 Jerry West Award. Named after Class of 1980 Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player Jerry West, the annual honor in its 10th year recognizes the top shooting guards in Division I men's college basketball.
A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates, which includes Illini senior Terrence Shannon Jr.
This is the latest honor for Shannon, who was a unanimous selection to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team and is a preseason All-American by FOX Sports, CBS Sports and Blue Ribbon.
Shannon averaged 17.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals last season, earning first-team All-Big Ten accolades. He ranked seventh in the Big Ten in scoring and had 11 games of 20+ points, including nine times against high-major opponents. His aggressiveness on the offensive end also resulted in 166 free throws on 210 attempts, ranking second in the B1G in both categories while cracking the Illinois single-season top-10 lists.
"Each of the student-athletes nominated for the 2024 Jerry West Award has the same skillset that made Jerry West a household name, and they should be very proud of this accomplishment," said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. "Our committee, alongside Jerry, is honored to watch this exceptional group and work together to narrow down the list as the season progresses."
2024 Jerry West Award Candidates*
Trey Alexander, Creighton
Stephon Castle, Connecticut
LJ Cryer, Houston
Johnell Davis, Florida Atlantic
Jordan Dingle, St. John's
Boogie Ellis, USC
Kam Jones, Marquette
Riley Kugel, Florida
Caleb Love, Arizona
Fletcher Loyer, Purdue
Aidan Mahaney, St. Mary's
Tramon Mark, Arkansas
Kevin McCullar Jr., Kansas
Justin Moore, Villanova
Antonio Reeves, Kentucky
Jeremy Roach, Duke
Terrence Shannon Jr., Illinois
Santiago Vescovi, Tennessee
Tyson Walker, Michigan State
Ja'Kobe Walter, Baylor
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2023-24 season
Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds, starting Friday, October 27. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2024 Jerry West Award will be narrowed to 10 and then in late February to just five. In March the five finalists will be presented to West and the Hall of Fame's selection committee where a winner will be selected.
The winner of the 2024 Jerry West Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Men's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Award (Point Guard), Julius Erving Award (Small Forward), Karl Malone Award (Power Forward) and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (Center), in addition to the Women's Starting Five.
Previous winners of the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award are Marcus Sasser, Houston (2023), Johnny Davis, Wisconsin (2022), Chris Duarte, Oregon (2021), Myles Powell, Seton Hall (2020), RJ Barrett, Duke (2019), Carsen Edwards, Purdue (2018), Malik Monk, Kentucky (2017), Buddy Hield, Oklahoma (2016) and D'Angelo Russell, Ohio State (2015).
For more information on the 2024 Jerry West Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #WestAward on Twitter and Instagram.
About Jerry West
Jerry West attended West Virginia University from 1956-1960 and averaged 24.8 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. 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 (1960-74) and made the All-NBA First Team 10 times (1961-67 and 1969-73). West won an NBA championship in 1972 and was named the NBA Finals MVP in 1969 despite his team not winning the championship. He was named a member of the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996 and was listed as one of the league's 75 greatest players in 2021..
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 hoophall.com, follow @hoophall and or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.
