NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Iona College men’s basketball senior guard A.J. English was named one of ten watch list finalists for the 2016 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today. Named after Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player Jerry West, the annual honor in its second year recognizes the top shooting guards in Division I men’s college basketball. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates in October, which has now been narrowed to just ten.
English leads the MAAC and is No. 10 in the NCAA in scoring this season, averaging a career-high 22.3 points per game. He is tied for No. 6 on Iona’s all-time scoring list following his effort Monday night vs. Saint Peter’s. English also leads the MAAC in assists and three-pointers made per game. His 5.9 per game assist average is No. 22 in the nation while his 3.13 trifectas per contest is No. 23. English holds two of the top three single-game scoring efforts in the NCAA this season, pouring in 46 points vs. Fairfield on Dec. 1 and 45 vs. Monmouth on Jan. 15. He shares the top effort with Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield.
English was a unanimous selection as MAAC Preseason Player of the Year and was named to the Naismith Hall of Fame’s West Award preseason watch list among several other preseason honors. For the second straight season and for the third time under head coach Tim Cluess, an Iona men’s basketball player is a finalist for one of the Naismith postseason position awards. In 2014-15, graduate David Laury was a candidate for the Karl Malone Award for the nation’s top power forward. Scott Machado was also a candidate for the Bob Cousy Award (point guard) in his senior campaign of 2011-12.
“Jerry West is a basketball icon,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “As one of the best jump shooters to play the game, Jerry West’s drive for perfection is what set him apart. It’s that type of drive that will be required to take home this award in this year’s highly competitive field.”
Jerry West attended West Virginia University and averaged 24.8 points and 13.3 rebounds per game in his three varsity seasons. 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 fourteen seasons in the NBA with the Lakers making the All-NBA First Team ten times. West won an NBA championship in 1972 and was named the NBA Finals MVP in 1969 despite his team not winning the championship. In 1996, West was named a member of the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team and in 1979 he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
In March, five finalists will be presented to Mr. West and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee for the 2016 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award. The winner of the 2016 Jerry West Award will be presented at the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show live from Club Nokia in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 8, 2016. Broadcast information will be released at a later date.
Last season, D’Angelo Russell of Ohio State was named the inaugural winner of the 2016 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award. For more information on the 2016 Jerry West Award, log onto www.HoophallAwards.com.
2016 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award Finalists
Grayson Allen, Duke
Malcolm Hill, Illinois
A.J. English, Iona
Sheldon McClellan, Miami
Caris LeVert, Michigan
Buddy Hield, Oklahoma
Julian Jacobs, University Southern California
Jalen Jones, Texas A&M
Josh Hart, Villanova
Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia
