There’s been talk, from some college basketball coaches during the offseason and preseason, that Kansas guard Quentin Grimes could be the most talented all-around player in the country during the 2018-19 season.
It remains to be seen if Grimes, a five-star freshman from The Woodlands, Texas, lives up to that kind of hype or even comes close to reaching that level.
But the folks at the Jerry West Award believe it’s worth keeping an eye on.
Grimes on Tuesday was named one of 20 candidates for the 2019 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced.
Named after Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player Jerry West, the annual honor, in its fifth year, recognizes the top shooting guard in Division I men’s college basketball. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
Although he is not one of those coaches who has publicly talked about Grimes’ enormous potential, KU coach Bill Self is on record as being a huge fan of Grimes’ game, which he saw up-close-and-personal throughout the recruiting process and this summer with USA Basketball.
If Grimes, [who like freshman point guard Devon Dotson has landed on a preseason watch list despite not having played a single minute yet,][1] is going to reach the point where he belongs in that conversation, [Self, at least at this point, wants to see the former McDonald’s All-American bring a little more fire and intensity to all aspects of his time at Kansas.][2]
Ranked No. 8 in the national recruiting services, Grimes averaged 29.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists his senior season, earning the 2017-18 Texas Gatorade Player of the Year, Texas Mr. Basketball and the 6A Player of the Year. This past summer, Grimes was the Most Valuable Player and an All-Tournament selection at the 2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championships in leading USA to the gold medal, where he averaged 14.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists. The USA squad was coached by KU head coach Bill Self
By mid-February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2019 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award will be narrowed down to just 10. In March, five finalists will be presented to Mr. West and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2019 Jerry West Award will be presented at the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show presented by Wendy’s in Los Angeles on Friday, April 12, 2019.
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).
For more information on the 2019 Jerry West Award, log onto www.HoophallAwards.com.
2019 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award Candidates
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Bryce Brown, Auburn
Jarron Cumberland, Cincinnati
Kellan Grady, Davidson
RJ Barrett, Duke
KeVaughn Allen, Florida
Zach Norvell, Gonzaga
Justin Wright-Foreman, Hofstra
Romeo Langford, Indiana
Quentin Grimes, Kansas
Barry Brown, Kansas State
Tyler Herro, Kentucky
Quinndary Weatherspoon, Mississippi State
James Palmer Jr., Nebraska
T.J. Gibbs, Notre Dame
Mustapha Heron, St. John’s
Tyus Battle, Syracuse
Jarrett Culver, Texas Tech
Kyle Guy, Virginia
Jaylen Nowell Washington
Fletcher Magee, Wofford
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2018-19 season.*
[1]: http://www2.kusports.com/weblogs/tale-tait/2018/oct/16/ku-pg-dotson-the-first-jayhawk-to-land-o/
[2]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2018/oct/12/ku-coaches-seeking-greater-engagement-freshman-gua/?mens_basketball
