Virginia senior forward Sam Hauser is one of the five finalists for the 2021 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award.
Joining Hauser on the list are Corey Kispert (Gonzaga), Isaiah Livers (Michigan), Ron Harper Jr. (Rutgers) and Terrence Shannon Jr.
Hauser leads UVA in scoring (15.1 ppg), rebounding (7.0 rpg) and 3-pointers (48). He is shooting 51.4. percent from the field, 44.4 percent from three-point range and 85.3 percent from the free throw line, and has reached double figures in scoring in 18 contests, including a season-high 23 points against Pitt and 22 vs. Georgia Tech.
A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 student-athletes in November, which was narrowed to 10 candidates in January and now just five finalists. This month, the finalists will be presented to Erving and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee.
The winner of the 2021 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award will be determined by a combination of fan votes and input from the Basketball Hall of Fame’s selection committee. Naismith Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on Friday, February 26 on hoophallawards.com.
“Selecting our winner for this year’s award will take great attention and research down the homestretch of the season,” said Erving, Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 1993. “The committee members and I are certainly excited to watch them play, and we hope the fans will join us in voting to make their opinions heard.”
Previous winners of the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award include Saddiq Bey, Villanova (2020), Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga (2019), Mikal Bridges, Villanova (2018), Josh Hart, Villanova (2017), Denzel Valentine, Michigan State (2016) and Stanley Johnson, Arizona (2015).