CHAMPAIGN, Ill.– The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced Tuesday that Fighting Illini senior Kylan Boswell is one of 20 watch-list candidates for the 2026 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 12th year by highlighting the top shooting guards in Division I men's college basketball.
Boswell started 34 games last year in his first season with the Illini, averaging 12.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He scored in double figures 24 times and was at his best down the stretch, averaging nearly 17 points over the final eight games of the season with highlight performances of 23 points and six assists in the NCAA Second Round vs. Kentucky and career-high 24 points with seven assists in the Big Ten Tournament Second-Round win over Iowa.
2026 Jerry West Award Candidates*
Brayden Burries, Arizona
Richie Saunders, BYU
Josh Dix, Creighton
Isaiah Evans, Duke
Xaivian Lee, Florida
Emanuel Sharp, Houston
Kylan Boswell, Illinois
PJ Haggerty, Kansas State
Otega Oweh, Kentucky
Ryan Conwell, Louisville
Seth Trimble, North Carolina
Anthony Roy, Oklahoma State
Jason Edwards, Providence
Ian Jackson, St. John's
Solo Ball, UConn
Rodney Rice, USC
Mason Falslev, Utah State
Malik Thomas, Virginia
Wesley Yates III, Washington
John Blackwell, Wisconsin
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2025-26 season.
In partnership with the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), 20 watch-list candidates for the 2026 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 31. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2026 Jerry West and Ann Meyers Drysdale Awards will be narrowed to 10, and then in late February, to just five. In 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 winner of the 2026 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 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 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 2026 Jerry West and Ann Meyers Drysdale Awards and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophallu, #WestAward, and #MeyersDrysdaleAward on X and Instagram.
