Haws named a Jerry West Award finalist

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today that BYU senior guard Tyler Haws is one of five finalists for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award. The finalists for the the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award, the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award presented by cConnect and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award were also announced today.

These positional awards were introduced during the 2014-15 season, in addition to the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award presented by College of the Holy Cross, which is now in its 12th year. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel narrowed the original player watch lists down to the final five candidates in each position.

“For many years, the Basketball Hall of Fame has recognized the top collegiate point guards in the nation with the Bob Cousy Award. This season, we are excited to expand upon these awards by recognizing the top players at each position,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “The finalists selected exhibit tremendous athleticism and remarkable drive. They are the best of the best and we are pleased to be recognizing them for their efforts.”

Haws, a native of Alpine, Utah, has led the Cougars to a 24-8 record and is currently third in the country in scoring at 22.2 points per game. On Feb. 26, 2015, at Portland, Haws became BYU’s all-time leading scorer, passing the 2011 consensus National Player of the Year Jimmer Fredette. In addition to being the program’s all-time scoring leader, Haws is also first in BYU history in free throws made, free throw percentage, minutes played, starts, 20-point games and double-figure scoring games.

A 2015 All-West Coast Conference First Team honoree, Haws is also a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award, was named to the Naismith Trophy Midseason Top 30 and is on the National Ballot for the John R. Wooden Award.

The winners of the Basketball Hall of Fame college basketball awards will be determined by a combination of fan votes and input from the Hall of Fame’s selection committees. Fans are encouraged to visit www.HoophallAwards.com to cast their votes March 9-18. The winners of the inaugural awards will be awarded at ESPN’s new College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy’s from Club Nokia in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 10, 2015. The Awards will be televised live on ESPN2 at 8:00pm EST.

2015 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award Finalists

Tyler Haws, Brigham Young University
Jerian Grant, University of Notre Dame
D’Angelo Russell, Ohio State University
Buddy Hield, University of Oklahoma
Ron Baker, Wichita State University

2015 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award Finalists

Stanley Johnson, University of Arizona
Justise Winslow, Duke University
LaDontae Henton, Providence College
Justin Anderson, University of Virginia
Sam Dekker, University of Wisconsin

2015 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award presented by cConnect Finalists

Kyle Wiltjer, Gonzaga University
David Laury, Iona College
Georges Niang, Iowa State University
Perry Ellis, University of Kansas
Montrezl Harrell, University of Louisville

2015 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award Finalists

Bobby Portis, University of Arkansas
Jahlil Okafor, Duke University
Willie Cauley-Stein, University of Kentucky
Rakeem Christmas, Syracuse University
Frank Kaminsky, University of Wisconsin

About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was invented, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame promotes and preserves the game of basketball at every level – professional, collegiate and high school, for both men and women on the global stage.

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