Tramon Mark named to Jerry West Award watch list

FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas junior Tramon Mark was one of 20 players on the initial Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame watch list for the 2024 Jerry West Award.

Named after Class of 1980 Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player Jerry West, the annual honor, in its 10th year, recognizes the top shooting guards in Division I men’s college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.

“Each of the student-athletes nominated for the 2024 Jerry West Award has the same skillset that made Jerry West a household name, and they should be very proud of this accomplishment,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. “Our committee, alongside Jerry, is honored to watch this exceptional group and work together to narrow down the list as the season progresses.”

Mark is in his first year at Arkansas after being at Houston for the past three seasons. He started all 37 games for the Cougars last year and helped Houston reach the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2023-24 and the Final Four in 2020-21. Last season, he finished fourth on the team with 10.1 points per game and added 4.9 rebounds per contest. Mark ranked 11th in the AAC with a 77.6 free throw percentage.

Mark was teammates at Houston with last year’s Jerry West Award winner Marcus Sasser. Arkansas will face six players on this year’s initial Jerry West Award watch list including Jeremy Roach (Duke), Riley Kugel (Florida), LJ Cryer (Houston), Antonio Reeves (Kentucky), Fletcher Loyer (Purdue) and Santiago Vescovi (Tennessee).

Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds, starting Friday, October 27. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2024 Jerry West Award will be narrowed to 10, and then in late February, to just five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to West and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee, where a winner will be selected.

The winner of the 2024 Jerry West 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), Julius Erving Award (Small Forward), Karl Malone Award (Power Forward), and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (Center).

2024 Jerry West Award Candidates*
Caleb Love                         Arizona
Tramon Mark                    Arkansas
Ja’Kobe Walter                  Baylor
Trey Alexander                  Creighton
Jeremy Roach                    Duke
Johnell Davis                     FAU
Riley Kugel                        Florida
LJ Cryer                             Houston
Terrence Shannon Jr.         Illinois
Kevin McCullar Jr.              Kansas
Antonio Reeves                 Kentucky
Kam Jones                         Marquette
Tyson Walker                    Michigan State
Fletcher Loyer                   Purdue
Aidan Mahaney                 St. Mary’s
Jordan Dingle                    St. John’s
Santiago Vescovi                Tennessee
Stephon Castle                  UConn
Boogie Ellis                        USC
Justin Moore                     Villanova
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2023-24 season.

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