LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech High Kevin Obanor has been selected to the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Preseason Watch List, which was announced by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The preseason roster features 20 shooting guards from across the country with Obanor being one of three from the Big 12.
Named after Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year pro basketball player Julius Erving, the annual honor is in its ninth year and is selected by a national committee of senior college basketball personnel.
A fifth-year senior from Houston, Obanor is entering his second season at Texas Tech after playing three seasons at Oral Roberts. He enters his senior year with 1,676 points, 889 rebounds and 35 career double-doubles. Obanor averaged 10.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in 37 starts last season for the Red Raiders, where he recorded two double-doubles in three NCAA Tournament games.
Obanor scored 23 points and added a season-high 13 rebounds in Tech’s home win over Baylor and would go on to record 15 points and 15 rebounds in the second-round NCAA Tournament win over Notre Dame. He finished last season contributing 10 points and 10 rebounds in a Sweet 16 loss to Duke. Obanor is Tech’s lone returning starter this season and comes into the year having already played 123 games in his career.
He is joined on the preseason roster by Julian Strawther (Gonzaga), Jaime Jaquez (UCLA), Timmy Allen (Texas), Colby Jones (Xavier), Dariq Whitehead (Duke), Matthew Cleveland (Florida State), Josiah-Jordan James (Tennessee ), Tyler Wahl (Wisconsin), Baylor Scheierman (Creighton), Harrison Ingram (Stanford), Chris Livingston (Kentucky), Caleb McConnell (Rutgers), Jalen Wilson (Kansas), Brandon Miller (Alabama), Pelle Larsson (Arizona), Leaky Black (North Carolina), Cam Whitmore (Villanova), Jamison Battle (Minnesota), Jordan Walsh (Arkansas).
Fans are encouraged to participate in the Fan Vote, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds beginning Friday, October 28. In late January, the 20-player watch list for the 2023 Julius Erving Award will be narrowed to 10 and then in late February to just five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Erving and the Hall of Fame selection committee where a winner will be chosen.
The winner of the 2023 Julius Erving Award will be presented at a date to be determined, 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 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (Center), in addition to the Women’s Starting Five.
Previous Julius Erving Award winners are Wendell Moore Jr, (Duke, 2022), Corey Kispert, Gonzaga (2021), Saddiq Bey, Villanova (2020), Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga (2019), Mikal Bridges, Villanova (20), Josh Hart, Villanova (2017), Denzel Valentine, Michigan State (2016) and Stanley Johnson, Arizona (2015). For more information on the 2023 Julius Erving Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #ErvingAward on Twitter and Instagram.
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 popular player when he joined the National Basketball Association in 1976. During his professional career, Erving won three championships, four MVP awards and three scoring titles. He was named a member of the NBA’s All-Time 50th Anniversary Team in 1996 and was ranked as one of the league’s 75 Greatest Players in 2021.
Obanor and the Red Raiders begin their season on Monday, Nov. 7 hosting Northwestern State at United Supermarkets Arena.
