The new college hoops season is about to begin. That means award watch lists are starting to come out, and you can bet the Kentucky Wildcats will be on many of them.
Up first is freshman guard Tyler Herro, who was named to the 2019 Jerry West Award Preseason Watch List. Herro is among 20 players on the watch list for the award named after Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Jerry West, which honors the nation’s top shooting guard.
A big reason why Herro made this list was his performance in the Bahamas, where he was far and away the best scorer that any team had there. He led the Wildcats in scoring with 17.3 points per game and had 15+ points in the contests, which were double-digit wins for Kentucky.
During his final high school season, Herro averaged 32.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.3 steals per game as a First Team All-State selection in Wisconsin.
Former Wildcat and current Malik Charlotte Hornets guard Monk won the award in 2017 after averaging 19.8 points per game during his freshman season. He is the only Wildcat to win the award.
As loaded as Kentucky is, it’s going to be hard for any one player to win a national award, but Herro should be putting up enough points to remain in contention for this honor.
2019 Jerry West Award Watch List
- Bryce Brown, Auburn
- Jarron Cumberland, Cincinnati
- Kellan Grady, Davidson
- RJ Barrett, Duke
- KeVaughn Allen, Florida
- Zach Norvell, Gonzaga
- Justin Wright-Foreman, Hofstra
- Romeo Langford, Indiana
- Quentin Grimes, Kansas
- Barry Brown, Kansas St.
- Tyler Herro, Kentucky
- Quinndary Weatherspoon, Mississippi St.
- James Palmer Jr., Nebraska
- T.J. Gibbs, Notre Dame
- Mustapha Heron, St. John’s
- Tyus Battle, Syracuse
- Jarrett Culver, Texas Tech
- Kyle Guy, Virginia
- Jaylen Nowell, Washington
- Fletcher Magee, Wofford
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