DURHAM, N.C. – Duke freshman RJ Barrett has been named one of five finalists for the 2019 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award, which was announced by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Tuesday.
Barrett is the ACC’s leading scorer at 23.1 points per game, which ranks 12th nationally and third among NCAA freshmen. He is one of only two players nationally — and the only one in power conferences — averaging 20.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists. The four-time ACC Freshman of the Week and preseason ACC Freshman of the Year, Barrett has already set the ACC freshman record for most 20-point games (21) and is 24 points shy of Duke’s freshman scoring record.
The native of Mississauga, Ontario has been one of the nation’s most consistent scorers this season. He leads the country in scoring against AP top 10 teams, averaging 27.1 points as Duke has gone 4-2 against top 10 teams. The freshman also paces the ACC in conference-only scoring (23.1), while his .460 field goal percentage in conference play ranks eighth. He is fifth in the league assists (4.21) and 12th in rebounding (7.4).
Barrett has helped guide No. 4 Duke to a 25-4 record and a 13-3 mark in ACC play.
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. Barrett joins Justin Wright-Foreman (Hofstra), Carsen Edwards (Purdue), Jarrett Culver (Texas Tech) and Kyle Guy (Virginia) on the list of finalists.
A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 student-athletes in October, which was narrowed to 10 candidates in February and now just five finalists. This month, the finalists will be presented to Mr. West and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2019 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award will be determined by a combination of fan votes and input from the Basketball Hall of Fame’s selection committee. Fans are encouraged to visit www.HoophallAwards.com to cast their votes March 8-29.
“I would like to thank the Hall of Fame and the committee members who have helped to evaluate this year’s talent,” said Jerry West, Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 1980. “We have some really exceptional finalists, including Carsen Edwards who took home the award last season. There are a lot of important games still to be played and I look forward to watching them compete.”
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).
