Cal’s Jaylon Tyson named to Julius Erving Award candidate list
Cal junior wing Jaylon Tyson is one of the top 10 candidates for the 2024 Julius Erving Award, which was announced Wednesday by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The award recognizes the top small forward in DI men’s basketball, and this is the 10th year of the annual honor.
Tyson transferred to Cal from Texas Tech this past offseason — his second transfer after coming to the Red Raiders from Texas. Tyson’s request for an NCAA transfer waiver, required for a second undergraduate transfer, was initially denied but later granted following an appeal, causing him to miss the Bears’ season opener.
He scored 20 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in his Cal debut marking the first of five double-double performances this season.
In his time with the Bears, Tyson has been crucial as Cal continues on its rebuild under first-year head coach Mark Madsen, averaging 20.6 points — which leads the Pac-12. Additionally, with an average of 7.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, Tyson holds the lead in those categories across the nine other nominees. On two occasions this season, the junior has scored over 30 points.
Tyson has been key for the Bears in Pac-12 play, scoring 20 or more points through the first six games of the conference schedule. Over the course of the season, Tyson is averaging 22 points per game and has dished out at least two assists in every contest of Pac-12 play.
He leads the Bears in field goals (141) and free throws (77) and is second behind Jalen Cone in 3-pointers. Tyson, along with a number of new additions to the team, have been instrumental as the Bears rebound from a 3-29 2022-23 season.
The award is narrowed from the top 10 candidates to five finalists in March, who will be presented to Erving and the Hall of Fame selection committee, composed of top basketball personnel, according to a Cal press release. Throughout the course of the season, the list of the top candidates may change as play continues, meaning that players may be added or removed from the list during the 2023-24 season, at any point.
According to the press release, fan votes will count for one committee vote as part of the finalist selection process. The fan voting is set to commence Friday. The date the finalist will be presented is yet to be set.
Other candidates include: Keion Brooks, Jr. (Washington), Baylor Scheierman (Creighton), Tucker DeVries (Drake), Anton Watson (Gonzaga), David Jones (Memphis), Harrison Ingram (North Carolina), Jamison Battle (Ohio State), Dalton Knecht (Tennessee), Dillon Jones (Weber State)
Tyson and the Bears are 8-12 on the season and 4-5 in Pac-12 play after notching a pair of wins over conference rivals Washington State and Stanford over the last two weeks. Cal visits the desert this week for road matchups against No. 11 Arizona and Arizona State.
