Corey Kispert Named to Julius Erving Award Watch List

Gonzaga Bulldogs senior Corey Kispert was named to the Julius Erving Award Watch List, the annual award for the top small forward in the nation. He joins Joel Ayayi and Jalen Suggs in preseason positional honors, giving the Zags a clean sweep so far.

This is the least surprise out of all of the preseason awards. Kispert turned into a deadly shooter last season, averaging 13.9 points per game and shooting 43.8 percent from long range. He was one of the most important players on the top offense in the nation, and he was a finalist for the award last season.

Kispert turned down entering the NBA Draft to focus on bringing a national championship to Spokane. As the unquestioned leader of the Gonzaga Bulldogs, Kispert has a legitimate chance at winning this award by the end of the year. He was recently named a preseason All-American by CBS Sports.

Here is the full preseason watch list:

• Derrick Alston Jr., Boise State
• Jalen Johnson, Duke
• Wendell Moore, Duke
• Jayden Gardner, East Carolina
• Keyontae Johnson, Florida
• Corey Kispert, Gonzaga
• Brandon Boston Jr., Kentucky
• D.J. Jeffries, Memphis
• Aaron Wiggins, Maryland
• Franz Wagner, Michigan
• Aaron Henry, Michigan State
• Ron Harper Jr., Rutgers
• Matt Mitchell, San Diego State
• Ziaire Williams, Stanford
• Yves Pons, Tennessee
• Terrence Shannon, Jr., Texas Tech
• Chris Smith, UCLA
• Timmy Allen, Utah
• Jermaine Samuels, Villanova
• Sam Hauser, Virginia