Bolton and Smith named to Jerry West Preseason Watch List
Gonzaga’s Rasir Bolton (45) was one of two Zag basketball players named to the Jerry West Award preseason watch list on Tuesday.
Courtesy photo/GU Athletics
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Gonzaga's Rasir Bolton and Malachi Smith were named to the Jerry West Award Watch List Tuesday.
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. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
Bolton started all 32 games last season, leading the team with 64 made three-pointers on 139 attempts. He led the West Coast Conference shooting 46 percent from behind-the-arc. The Petersburg, Va., native, made 50 percent from three-point range during the conference play. Following the regular season, Bolton was named Honorable Mention All-WCC. He finished his collegiate career with 1,495 points in 115 appearances. He averaged 11.2 points per game in 2021-22. Bolton made 81.7 percent from the free-throw line. He was ninth in conference play with a 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Smith was the Southern Conference Player of the Year and was named the Lou Henson National Player of the Year. He also earned CoSIDA Academic All-District 3 Team honors and was named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll. He averaged 19.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.7 steals last season. Smith had 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists in the Southern Conference championship win over Furman and was named the tournament's most outstanding player. Smith, a Belleville, Illinois, native, averaged 5.4 points and 2.9 rebounds as a freshman at Wright State. After sitting out one season under NCAA transfer rules, he was first-team All-SoCon while averaging 16.8 points and 8.8 boards in 2020-21.
Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds, starting Friday, October 28. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2023 Jerry West Award will be narrowed to 10 and then in late February to just five. In March the five finalists will be presented to West and the Hall of Fame's selection committee where a winner will be selected.
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. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Award (Point Guard), Julius Erving Award (Small Forward), Karl Malone Award (Power Forward) and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (Center), in addition to the Women's Starting Five.
Previous winners of the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award are Johnny Davis, Wisconsin (2022), Chris Duarte, Oregon (2021), Myles Powell, Seton Hall (2020), RJ Barrett, Duke (2019), Carsen Edwards, Purdue (2018), Malik Monk, Kentucky (2017), Buddy Hield, Oklahoma (2016) and D'Angelo Russell, Ohio State (2015).
2023 Jerry West Award Candidates*
Nick Smith Jr., Arkansas
Cason Wallace, Kentucky
Adam Flagler, Baylor
Taevion Kinsey, Marshall
Charles Pride, Bryant
Isaiah Wong, Miami (Fl.)
Tyrese Proctor, Duke
Isiaih Mosley, Missouri
Malachi Smith, Gonzaga
Terquavion Smith, NC State
Rasir Bolton, Gonzaga
Dane Goodwin, Notre Dame
Marcus Sasser, Houston
Matt Bradley, San Diego State
Terrence Shannon Jr., Illinois
Joseph Girard III, Syracuse
Kevin McCullar Jr., Kansas
Santiago Vescovi, Tennessee
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2022-23 season.