SPRINGFIELD, MASS. (October 30, 2024) — The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced the 20 watch-list candidates for the 2025 Julius Erving Award and, in partnership with the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), the 20 watch-list candidates for the 2025 Cheryl Miller Award.
The annual Julius Erving Award, named after the Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player, celebrates its 11th year by recognizing the top small forwards in Division I men’s college basketball.
The Cheryl Miller Award, in its eighth year, honors the top small forwards in women’s Division I women’s college basketball. It is named after the three-time Naismith Player of the Year and Class of 1995 Hall of Famer.
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2024-25 season.
Fans can support their favorite player by participating in Fan Voting starting Friday, November 1. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2025 Julius Erving and Cheryl Miller Awards will be narrowed to 10, and then in late February, to just five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Erving, Miller, and the Hall of Fame’s selection committees, where winners will be selected. The Selection Committees for the Julius Erving and Cheryl Miller Awards are composed of top men’s and women’s college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers.
The winner of the 2025 Erving and Miller Awards will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the other four members of the Men’s and Women’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy and Nancy Lieberman Awards (Point Guard), Jerry West and Ann Meyers Drysdale Awards (Shooting Guard), Karl Malone and Katrina McClain Awards (Power Forward), and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lisa Leslie Awards (Center).
Previous winners of the Julius Erving Award are Dalton Knecht, Tennessee (2024), Jalen Wilson, Kansas (2023), Wendell Moore Jr., Duke (2022), Corey Kispert, Gonzaga (2021), Saddiq Bey, Villanova (2020), Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga (2019), Mikal Bridges, Villanova (2018), Josh Hart, Villanova (2017), Denzel Valentine, Michigan State (2016), and Stanley Johnson, Arizona (2015).
Previous winners of the Cheryl Miller Award are Madison Booker, Texas (2024), Ashley Joens, Iowa State (2021-23), Satou Sabally, Oregon (2020), Bridget Carleton, Iowa State (2019), and Gabby Williams, Connecticut (2018).
For more information on the 2025 Julius Erving and Cheryl Miller Awards and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophallu, #ErvingAward, and #MillerAward on X and Instagram.
About the WBCA:
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. The WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers, and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to those organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players, and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. For more information, visit us online: WBCA.org, follow @wbca1981 or call 1-770-279-8027.
About the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving, and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches, and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 450 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum, and events, visit hoophall.com, follow @hoophallu, or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.
The annual Julius Erving Award, named after the Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player, celebrates its 11th year by recognizing the top small forwards in Division I men’s college basketball.
The Cheryl Miller Award, in its eighth year, honors the top small forwards in women’s Division I women’s college basketball. It is named after the three-time Naismith Player of the Year and Class of 1995 Hall of Famer.
| 2025 Julius Erving Award Candidates* | 2025 Cheryl Miller Award Candidates* | ||
| KJ Lewis | Arizona | Sarah Ashlee Barker | Alabama |
| BJ Freeman | Arizona State | Andrea Daley | Boston College |
| Chad Baker-Mazara | Auburn | Lior Garzon | Colorado |
| Tyson Degenhart | Boise State | Yarden Garzon | Indiana |
| Cooper Flagg | Duke | Temira Poindexter | Kansas State |
| Michael Ajayi | Gonzaga | Mikaylah Williams | LSU |
| Mackenzie Mgbako | Indiana | Saylor Poffenbarger | Maryland |
| Payton Sandfort | Iowa | Grace VanSlooten | Michigan State |
| Milan Momcilovic | Iowa State | Alyssa Ustby | North Carolina |
| AJ Storr | Kansas | Madison Hayes | NC State |
| Jaxson Robinson | Kentucky | Cotie McMahon | Ohio State |
| Matthew Cleveland | Miami (Fla.) | Sahara Williams | Oklahoma |
| Frankie Fidler | Michigan State | Madison Scott | Ole Miss |
| Mark Mitchell | Missouri | Maryam Dauda | South Carolina |
| Ian Jackson | North Carolina | Madison Booker | Texas |
| Drake Powell | North Carolina | Aicha Coulibaly | Texas A&M |
| Ace Bailey | Rutgers | Angela Dugalić | UCLA |
| Arthur Kaluma | Texas | Sarah Strong | UConn |
| Liam McNeeley | UConn | Gianna Kneepkens | Utah |
| Tucker DeVries | West Virginia | Sacha Washington | Vanderbilt |
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2024-25 season.
Fans can support their favorite player by participating in Fan Voting starting Friday, November 1. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2025 Julius Erving and Cheryl Miller Awards will be narrowed to 10, and then in late February, to just five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Erving, Miller, and the Hall of Fame’s selection committees, where winners will be selected. The Selection Committees for the Julius Erving and Cheryl Miller Awards are composed of top men’s and women’s college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers.
The winner of the 2025 Erving and Miller Awards will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the other four members of the Men’s and Women’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy and Nancy Lieberman Awards (Point Guard), Jerry West and Ann Meyers Drysdale Awards (Shooting Guard), Karl Malone and Katrina McClain Awards (Power Forward), and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lisa Leslie Awards (Center).
Previous winners of the Julius Erving Award are Dalton Knecht, Tennessee (2024), Jalen Wilson, Kansas (2023), Wendell Moore Jr., Duke (2022), Corey Kispert, Gonzaga (2021), Saddiq Bey, Villanova (2020), Rui Hachimura, Gonzaga (2019), Mikal Bridges, Villanova (2018), Josh Hart, Villanova (2017), Denzel Valentine, Michigan State (2016), and Stanley Johnson, Arizona (2015).
Previous winners of the Cheryl Miller Award are Madison Booker, Texas (2024), Ashley Joens, Iowa State (2021-23), Satou Sabally, Oregon (2020), Bridget Carleton, Iowa State (2019), and Gabby Williams, Connecticut (2018).
For more information on the 2025 Julius Erving and Cheryl Miller Awards and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophallu, #ErvingAward, and #MillerAward on X and Instagram.
About the WBCA:
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. The WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers, and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to those organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players, and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. For more information, visit us online: WBCA.org, follow @wbca1981 or call 1-770-279-8027.
About the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving, and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches, and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 450 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum, and events, visit hoophall.com, follow @hoophallu, or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.
