October 27, 2026 12:44 PM | Men's Basketball
SPRINGFIELD, MASS. — The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced the 20 watch-list candidates for the 2027 Jerry West Award and, in partnership with the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), the 20 watch-list candidates for the 2027 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award.
Â
The annual Jerry West Award, named after the late Class of 1980 Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player, celebrates its 13th year by highlighting the top shooting guard in NCAA Division I men's college basketball.Â
Â
The Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, in its 10th year, honors the top shooting guard in NCAA Division I women's college basketball. It is named after the Class of 1993 Hall of Famer, the first player, regardless of gender, to be chosen for an All-America Team in four consecutive college seasons.
Â
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2026-27 season.
Â
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.
Â
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).Â
Â
Previous winners of the Jerry West Award are Keaton Wagler, Illinois (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).
Â
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).
Â
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.
Â
About the WBCA:Â
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.
Â
About the Naismith Basketball Hall of FameÂ
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent nonprofit 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 worldwide. The Hall of Fame museum is home to nearly 500 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Welcoming close to 200,000 visitors each year, the museum invites fans to learn about the game, experience 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 more than 100 high school and collegiate games annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum, and events, visit hoophall.com or follow @hoophallu.
Â
Â
Â
The annual Jerry West Award, named after the late Class of 1980 Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player, celebrates its 13th year by highlighting the top shooting guard in NCAA Division I men's college basketball.Â
Â
The Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, in its 10th year, honors the top shooting guard in NCAA Division I women's college basketball. It is named after the Class of 1993 Hall of Famer, the first player, regardless of gender, to be chosen for an All-America Team in four consecutive college seasons.
Â
| 2027 Jerry West Award Candidates* | 2027 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Candidates* | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Denzel Aberdeen | Florida | Taryn Barbot | Pitt |
| Matt Able | North Carolina | Mikayla Blakes | Vanderbilt |
| Alijah Arenas | USC | Asia Boone | Kentucky |
| Finley Bizjack | West Virginia | Dani Carnegie | Iowa |
| John Blackwell | Duke | Talaysia Cooper | Ole Miss |
| Miles Byrd | Providence | MiLaysia Fulwiley | LSU |
| Collin Chandler | BYU | Delaney Gibb | BYU |
| Quentin Coleman | Illinois | Avery Howell | Washington |
| Mason Falslev | Utah State | Donovyn Hunter | UCLA |
| Austin Goosby | Texas | Tessa Johnson | South Carolina |
| PJ Haggerty | Texas A&M | Riley Nelson | Duke |
| Caleb Holt | Arizona | Oluchi Okananwa | Maryland |
| Trey McKenney | Michigan | Tajianna Roberts | Louisville |
| John Mobley Jr. | Ohio State | Taliah Scott | Baylor |
| Braylon Mullins | UConn | Syla Swords | Michigan |
| Tyler Perkins | Villanova | Lulu Twidale | Cal |
| Trent Perry | UCLA | JuJu Watkins | USC |
| Killyan Toure | Iowa State | Riley Weiss | Columbia |
| Seth Trimble | Louisville | Ruby Whitehorn | Arizona State |
| Jeremiah Wilkinson | Arkansas | Hannah Wickstrom | Purdue |
Â
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.
Â
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).Â
Â
Previous winners of the Jerry West Award are Keaton Wagler, Illinois (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).
Â
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).
Â
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.
Â
About the WBCA:Â
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.
Â
About the Naismith Basketball Hall of FameÂ
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent nonprofit 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 worldwide. The Hall of Fame museum is home to nearly 500 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Welcoming close to 200,000 visitors each year, the museum invites fans to learn about the game, experience 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 more than 100 high school and collegiate games annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum, and events, visit hoophall.com or follow @hoophallu.
Â
Â
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballWednesday, October 14
Wednesday, October 14
Wednesday, October 14
Saturday, October 10
