SPORTS
Wildcats’ Grady Named to Jerry West Watch List
Then freshman Kellan Grady shows why he is on the Jerry West watch list.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Sophomore Kellan Grady of the Davidson men’s basketball team has been named to the 2019 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Watch List, as announced by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Tuesday.
Named after Class of 1980 Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player Jerry West, the annual honor in its fifth 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.
Kellan Grady
Sophomore | Guard
Boston, Massachusetts
2017-18 Highlights: Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year • 2nd Team All-Conference • Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team • Atlantic 10 All-Tournament Team • Five-Time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week • Started 32 of the 33 contests he played • Just the second (John Gerdy) freshman in school history to begin his career with consecutive 20-point outings • Second on the team and led Atlantic 10 freshman in scoring at 18 points per game • Shot just over 50 percent from the floor and 80 percent at the charity stripe, while drilling 73 3-pointers • Scored in double figures 29 times • Went over the 20-point plateau 11 times • Hit the 30-point plateau three times, including a season-high 39 points in Davidson’s triple-overtime thriller at St. Bonaventure • Played 40 minutes five times • Also hit a school-record 16-of-16 free throws against the Bonnies, while logging 53 of 55 minutes • Hit at least four 3-pointers in a game eight times, including seven in the Wildcats’ season-opening win over Charleston Southern (11/10) • Capped the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii with 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting and five triples versus Akron (12/25) • Other 30-point effort came in a triumph at Duquesne (2/24) • Averaged just under 20 points, while shooting 55.2 percent from the floor in the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
By mid-February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2019 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award will be narrowed to just 10. In March, five finalists will be presented to Mr. West and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2019 Jerry West Award will be presented at the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show presented by Wendy’s in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 12, 2019, along with the other four members of the Naismith Starting 5. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Point Guard Award, the Julius Erving Small Forward Award, the Karl Malone Power Forward Award and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center Award. Broadcast information will be released at a later date.
Previous winners of the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award include Carsen Edwards, Purdue (2018), Malik Monk, Kentucky (2017), Buddy Hield, Oklahoma (2016) and D’Angelo Russell, Ohio State (2015).
2019 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award Candidates
| 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 |
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2018-19 season*