Kansas State University Athletics
Johnson Named Top 10 Candidate for Julius Irving Award
Feb 08, 2023 | Men's Basketball
The senior is one of 10 candidates for small forward of the year
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Senior Keyontae Johnson was announced as a Top 10 candidate for the 2023 Julius Irving Small Forward Award by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Wednesday (February 8).
The award, which annually honors the top small forward in Division I men's basketball, is named after the 4-time MVP and 16-year pro Julius Erving, who was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.
Johnson joined on the list by fellow Big 12 player – Kansas' Jalen Wilson – along with Alabama's Brandon Miller, Creighton's Baylor Scheierman, Florida State's Matthew Cleveland, Gonzaga's Julian Strawther, Ohio State's Brice Sensabaugh, Texas Tech's Kevin Obanor, UCLA's Jaime Jaquez, Jr. and Xavier's Colby Jones.
K-State fans can support Johnson's candidacy for the award by participating in Fan Voting starting Friday (February 10) on hoophallawards.com. The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.
Five finalists for the Erving Award will be announced in March with the winner being announced in April.
Johnson, along with teammate Markquis Nowell, was recently named to Watch Lists for both the Oscar Robertson Trophy as well as the John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy's. He was also selected as the NCAA March Madness National Player of the Week on Nov. 14, while he is a four-time Big 12 Newcomer of the Week.
A 6-foot-6, 230-pound forward from Norfolk, Va., Johnson is averaging a team-best 18 points on 52.2 percent (153-of-293) from the field, including 39.3 percent (29-of-59) from 3-point range, and 73.8 percent (96-of-130) from the free throw line, to go with 7.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 steals in 33.0 minutes per game. He has scored in double figures in all 24 games so far, which includes seven 20-point games.
Johnson ranks among the top-10 in 5 categories in the Big 12, including third in scoring and fourth in rebounding, while he and Kansas' Jalen Wilson are the only players in the conference to rank in the top-5 in scoring and rebounding in both overall and conference-only games.
No. 12/11 K-State (19-5, 7-4 Big 12) begins a 2-game road swing on Saturday when the Wildcats travel to Lubbock, Texas to take on Texas Tech (12-11, 1-9 Big 12) at 6 p.m., CT on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
How to follow the 'Cats: For complete information on K-State men's basketball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The award, which annually honors the top small forward in Division I men's basketball, is named after the 4-time MVP and 16-year pro Julius Erving, who was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.
Johnson joined on the list by fellow Big 12 player – Kansas' Jalen Wilson – along with Alabama's Brandon Miller, Creighton's Baylor Scheierman, Florida State's Matthew Cleveland, Gonzaga's Julian Strawther, Ohio State's Brice Sensabaugh, Texas Tech's Kevin Obanor, UCLA's Jaime Jaquez, Jr. and Xavier's Colby Jones.
K-State fans can support Johnson's candidacy for the award by participating in Fan Voting starting Friday (February 10) on hoophallawards.com. The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.
Five finalists for the Erving Award will be announced in March with the winner being announced in April.
Johnson, along with teammate Markquis Nowell, was recently named to Watch Lists for both the Oscar Robertson Trophy as well as the John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy's. He was also selected as the NCAA March Madness National Player of the Week on Nov. 14, while he is a four-time Big 12 Newcomer of the Week.
A 6-foot-6, 230-pound forward from Norfolk, Va., Johnson is averaging a team-best 18 points on 52.2 percent (153-of-293) from the field, including 39.3 percent (29-of-59) from 3-point range, and 73.8 percent (96-of-130) from the free throw line, to go with 7.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 steals in 33.0 minutes per game. He has scored in double figures in all 24 games so far, which includes seven 20-point games.
Johnson ranks among the top-10 in 5 categories in the Big 12, including third in scoring and fourth in rebounding, while he and Kansas' Jalen Wilson are the only players in the conference to rank in the top-5 in scoring and rebounding in both overall and conference-only games.
No. 12/11 K-State (19-5, 7-4 Big 12) begins a 2-game road swing on Saturday when the Wildcats travel to Lubbock, Texas to take on Texas Tech (12-11, 1-9 Big 12) at 6 p.m., CT on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
How to follow the 'Cats: For complete information on K-State men's basketball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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