CHAMPAIGN, Ill.– The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced Wednesday that Fighting Illini junior Andrej Stojakovic is a Mid-Season Top 10 candidate for the 2026 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award.
Stojakovic has started 19 of 21 games for fifth-ranked Illinois, ranking third on the team in scoring at 13.3 points per game along with 4.5 rebounds per contest. He is shooting nearly 49% from the field and better than 83% at the free throw line. Stojakovic has scored in double figures in 11 games, with five 20-plus point outings, and has been the Illini's leading scorer five times. He recently tallied a season-high 30 points in the Jan. 21 win over Maryland.
2026 Julius Erving Award Mid-Season Candidates*
Tounde Yessoufou, Baylor
AJ Dybantsa, BYU
Thomas Haugh, Florida
Andrej Stojakovic, Illinois
Milan Momcilovic, Iowa State
Ryan Conwell, Louisville
Coen Carr, Michigan State
Nate Ament, Tennessee
Dailyn Swain, Texas
Chad Baker-Mazara, USC
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2025-26 season.
Named after the Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 17-year professional basketball player, the Julius Erving Award celebrates its 12th year by recognizing the top small forwards in Division I men's college basketball.
In partnership with the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), 20 watch-list candidates for the 2026 Cheryl Miller Award also were announced, honoring the top small forwards in NCAA Division I women's basketball.
Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting in both of the remaining rounds starting on Friday, February 6, on hoophallawards.com. The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.
In mid-March, the Mid-Season Top 10 list will be narrowed to just five, and in late March, the five finalists will be presented to Erving, Miller, and the Hall of Fame's selection committees, where winners will be selected. The Selection Committees for the Julius Erving and Cheryl Miller Awards are composed of top men's and women's college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers.
The winner of the 2026 Erving and Miller Awards will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the other four members of the Men's and Women's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy and Nancy Lieberman Awards (Point Guard), Jerry West and Ann Meyers Drysdale Awards (Shooting Guard), Karl Malone and Katrina McClain Awards (Power Forward), and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lisa Leslie Awards (Center).
Previous winners of the Julius Erving Award include Cooper Flagg, Duke (2025), Dalton Knecht, Tennessee (2024), Jalen Wilson, Kansas (2023), Saddiq Bey, Villanova (2020), Mikal Bridges, Villanova (2018), Josh Hart, Villanova (2017), and Denzel Valentine, Michigan State (2016).
For more information on the 2026 Jerry West and Ann Meyers Drysdale Awards and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophallu, #WestAward, and #MeyersDrysdaleAward on X and Instagram.
