Freshman guard James Blackmon Jr. was named one of 16 finalists for the Jerry West Award, which recognizes the top shooting guard in college basketball.
Blackmon joins Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell as the two Big Ten representatives on the list.
At 16.2 points per game, Blackmon is fifth in the Big Ten in scoring and fifth among freshmen nationally. He is second among Big Ten freshmen, trailing Russell.
The Fort Wayne native has nine 20-point games this season and ranks second on the team in rebounding with 5.4 boards per game.
The 16 finalists for the Jerry West Award will be narrowed down to five players in early March. The final five will be presented to West and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame selection committee.
The winner of the 2015 award will be presented at the ESPN College Basketball Awards show live from Club Nokia in Los Angeles, Calif., on April 10.
Sam Beishuizen
