Brandon Miller Named a Top Five Finalist for the 2023 Julius Erving Award

Miller is one of five finalists recognized for the top collegiate small forward.

Author:
BamaCentral Staff
Publish date:
Mar 8, 2023 1:42 PM EST

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Alabama men's basketball forward Brandon Miller is one of five candidates named as a 2023 Julius Erving Award finalist, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced on Wednesday afternoon. The award recognizes the top small forward in Division I men's college basketball.

Fans can support their favorite players in the remaining rounds by participating in fan voting, presented by Dell Technologies, starting Friday, March 10, on www.hoophallawards.com. The fan vote will count as one committee vote during the finalist selection process. This month, the finalists will be presented to Erving and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. The Selection Committee for the Julius Erving 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 Julius Erving 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), Jerry West Award (Shooting Guard), Karl Malone Award (Power Forward) and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (Center), in addition to the Women's Starting Five.

Julius Erving attended the University of Massachusetts (1968-70) and averaged 26.3 points and 20.2 rebounds per game, making him one of only six NCAA men's basketball players to average more than 20 points and 20 rebounds per game. After two seasons, Erving made the jump to the American Basketball Association and was the league's most recognizable player when it merged with the National Basketball Association in 1976. During his professional career, Erving won three championships, four most valuable player awards and three scoring titles. He was named a member of the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996 and was listed as one of the league's 75 greatest players in 2021.

Brandon Miller Notes

SEC Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, First Team and All-Freshman honoree

First SEC player since Kentucky's Anthony Davis (2012) to win SEC Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year in the same season

Became the fourth player in the last 50 years to lead the SEC in scoring as a freshman (19.6 ppg) joining Tennessee's Bernard King (1975) and LSU's Chris Jackson (1989) and Cameron Thomas (2021)

Miller is the only player in Division I to score 605 points, record 245 rebounds and make 90 three-pointers this season

Has made 92 three-pointers this season ranks fourth most in UA history in a single season and 11 away from the program record (Eric Washington, 1995-96)