KNOXVILLE, Tenn. –Dalton Knecht of the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team is a member of the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Preseason Watch List, as announced Wednesday afternoon by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Named after Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player Julius Erving, the annual honor, in its tenth 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.
“As the 2023-24 season approaches, we are excited to watch the small forwards on the 2024 Julius Erving Award Watch List take the court and prove why we have selected them as the Top 20 to watch this season,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. “We are honored to have the great ‘Dr. J’ assist our selection committee as they evaluate these student-athletes throughout the season.”
Joining Knecht on the list are, Jalen Bridges (Baylor), Jaylon Tyson (Cal), Baylor Scheierman (Creighton), Tucker DeVries (Drake), Mark Mitchell (Duke), Anton Watson (Gonzaga), Payton Sandfort (Iowa), Johnny Furphy (Kansas), Arthur Kaluma (Kansas State), Justin Edwards (Kentucky), David Joplin (Marquette), Matthew Cleveland (Miami), Coen Carr (Michigan State), Harrison Ingram (North Carolina), Jamison Battle (Ohio State), Glenn Taylor Jr. (St. John’s), Tyler Burton (Villanova), Dillon Jones (Weber State) and Tyler Wahl (Wisconsin). Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2023-24 season.
A 2023 Second Team All-Big Sky Conference selection as a senior at Northern Colorado last season, Knecht won the Big Sky scoring title by averaging a league-best 20.2 points per game, good for No. 23 among Division I players. During a six-game span in January, Knecht eclipsed the 30-point mark three times while shooting 14-29 (.483) from 3-point range in those three contests. He finished the 2022-23 campaign fifth in field-goal percentage (.479), sixth in rebounding (7.2 rpg) and ninth in free-throw percentage (.771).
Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds beginning Friday, October 27. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2024 Julius Erving Award will be narrowed to 10, and then in late February, to just five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Erving and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee, where a winner will be selected.
The winner of the 2024 Julius Erving Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Award (Point Guard), Jerry West Award (Shooting Guard), Karl Malone Award (Power Forward), and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (Center), in addition to the Women’s Starting Five.