October 27, 2026 | Men's Basketball
News
CHAMPAIGN, Ill.– The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced Tuesday that Fighting Illini freshman Quentin Coleman is one of 20 watch-list candidates for the 2027 Jerry West Award.
Named after the late Class of 1980 Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player, the Jerry West Award celebrates its 13th year by highlighting the top shooting guard in Division I men's college basketball.
Coleman was a first-team MaxPreps All-American, second-team Naismith All-American, Gatorade Missouri Player of the Year, St. Louis Post-Dispatch All-Metro Player of the Year and Class 3 Player of the Year by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association as a senior at Principia School. He averaged 23.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.7 steals, leading the Panthers to a second straight state championship. Coleman also won a silver medal with USA Basketball in June at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup, earning all-tournament honors after averaging 11.2 points and tournament-leading 11.4 rebounds.
2027 Jerry West Award Candidates*
Denzel Aberdeen, Florida
Matt Able, North Carolina
Alijah Arenas, USC
Finley Bizjack, West Virginia
John Blackwell, Duke
Miles Byrd, Providence
Collin Chandler, BYU
Quentin Coleman, Illinois
Mason Falslev, Utah State
Austin Goosby, Texas
PJ Haggerty, Texas A&M
Caleb Holt, Arizona
Trey McKenney, Michigan
John Mobley Jr., Ohio State
Braylon Mullins, UConn
Tyler Perkins, Villanova
Trent Perry, UCLA
Killyan Toure, Iowa State
Seth Trimble, Louisville
Jeremiah Wilkinson, Arkansas
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2026-27 season.
In partnership with the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), 20 watch-list candidates for the 2027 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award also were announced, honoring the top shooting guards in NCAA Division I women's basketball.
Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting in each of the three rounds starting on Friday, October 30. In February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2027 Jerry West and Ann Meyers Drysdale Awards will be narrowed to 10, then to five in March. In late March, the five finalists will be presented to West's family, Meyers Drysdale, and the Hall of Fame's selection committees, where winners will be selected. The Selection Committees for the Jerry West and Ann Meyers Drysdale 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 winners of the 2027 West and Meyers Drysdale 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), Julius Erving and Cheryl Miller Awards (Small Forward), Karl Malone and Katrina McClain Awards (Power Forward), and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lisa Leslie Awards (Center).
Previous winners of the Jerry West Award are former Illinois star Keaton Wagler in 2026, Chaz Lanier, Tennessee (2025), RJ Davis, North Carolina (2024), Marcus Sasser, Houston (2023), Johnny Davis, Wisconsin (2022), Chris Duarte, Oregon (2021), Myles Powell, Seton Hall (2020), RJ Barrett, Duke (2019), Carsen Edwards, Purdue (2018), Malik Monk, Kentucky (2017), Buddy Hield, Oklahoma (2016), and D'Angelo Russell, Ohio State (2015).
Previous winners of the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award are Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt (2026), JuJu Watkins, USC (2024-25), Zia Cooke, South Carolina (2023), Christyn Williams, UConn (2022), Ashley Owusu, Maryland (2021), Aari McDonald, Arizona (2020), Asia Durr, Louisville (2019), and Victoria Vivians, Mississippi State (2018).
For more information on the 2027 Jerry West and Ann Meyers Drysdale Awards and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophallu, #WestAward, and #MeyersDrysdaleAward on X and Instagram.
