CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Isaiah Wong of the University of Miami men’s basketball team is among the top 10 candidates for the prestigious Jerry West Award, as announced Tuesday afternoon by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Named after Class of 1980 Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player Jerry West, the annual honor in its ninth year recognizes the top shooting guards in Division I men’s college basketball.
Wong, a member of the Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 Watch List, is one of two ACC players on the list, alongside NC State’s Terquavion Smith. The other eight players who made the cut are Baylor’s Adam Flagler, Baylor’s Keyonte George, Houston’s Marcus Sasser, Illinois’ Terrence Shannon Jr., Kansas’ Gradey Dick, Marshall’s Taevion Kinsey, Tennessee’s Santiago Vescovi, and UConn’s Jordan Hawkins.
A fourth-year junior guard from Piscataway, N.J., Wong is averaging team highs in points (16.0), assists (3.5), and steals (1.5) per game for No. 19/20 Miami (19-5, 10-4 ACC). He also ranks third on the team in rebounding (4.5), while shooting 43.9 percent from the floor, 36.8 percent beyond the arc, and 82.8 percent at the free-throw line.
Wong ranks top-10 in the ACC in steals per game (sixth), points per game (No. 10), and free-throw percentage (No. 10), as well as top-15 in assist-to-turnover ratio (No. 12; 1.83), assists per game (No. 14) and field-goal percentage (No. 14). His 36-point showing against Cornell on Dec. 7, 2022, remains the highest-scoring output of the season by an ACC player, while his 10 assists against St. Francis (PA) on Dec. 17, 2022, are tied for the third-highest figure.
Fans can support their favorite players in the remaining rounds by participating in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, starting Friday, February 10, on hoophallawards.com. The Fan Vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process.
In March, five finalists will be presented to West and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The Selection Committee for the Jerry West Award is composed of top men’s college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers. The winner of the 2023 Jerry West Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five.
Wong and the Hurricanes are back in action Saturday at 7 p.m. when they host Louisville, live on ACC Network from the Watsco Center.
Courtesy of Alex Schwartz of Miami Athletics
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