COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Junior Aaron Wiggins was one of 20 players nationally to be named to the 2021 Julius Erving Award Watch List as announced Wednesday by the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.
Named after Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player Julius Erving, the annual honor in its seventh year recognizes the top small forwards in Division I men's college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
This is the second career appearance for Wiggins on the Erving Award watch list, after previously appearing on the 2019 Erving Award watch list before his freshman season.
Wiggins returns for his third year in College Park after helping the Terps to the 2020 Big Ten regular season title and earning Maryland's first-ever Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year honor a season ago. The Greensboro, N.C. native appeared in all 31 games, making 16 starts, in a season cut short (no postseason) due to coronavirus pandemic.
Wiggins served as Maryland's spark plug off the bench, ranking third on the team in points (10.4), rebounds (4.9) and minutes (28.5) while ranking second in 3-pointers made (53) and steals (26). The small forward has established a reputation for electric playmaking ability, evidenced by the #1 play on SportsCenter's "top-10" after a follow-up dunk on own missed 3-pointer vs. Notre Dame last year.
College basketball fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2021 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award will be narrowed to just 10. In late February, five finalists will be presented to Mr. Erving and the Hall of Fame's selection committee.
The winner of the 2021 Julius Erving Award will be presented on Friday, April 9, 2021, along with the other four members of the Men's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented 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.
Previous winners of the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award include Saddiq Bey, Villanova (2020), Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga (2019), Mikal Bridges, Villanova (2018), Josh Hart, Villanova (2017), Denzel Valentine, Michigan State (2016) and Stanley Johnson, Arizona (2015).
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