UF Men’s Basketball: Johnson Selected to Julius Erving Award Watch List

Courtesy of University Athletic Association

The All-SEC forward is one of 20 candidates on the watch list for the annual award given to the top small forward in the nation.

Junior All-SEC forward Keyontae Johnson has been selected as one of 20 candidates named to the 2021 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award Watch List released by the Naismith Basketball Memorial Hall of Fame on Wednesday.

Johnson enters his third season in Gainesville after a sophomore campaign that saw him earn Coaches First Team and AP Second Team All-SEC accolades, posting team-highs in points per game (14.0) and steals per game (38). Additionally, Johnson finished second on the Gators with 7.1 rebounds per contest.

Overall, he led the Gators in scoring 15 times and rebounding 13 times over 31 games during the 2019-20 season.

The Norfolk, Va. native and the 19 other watch list members for the annual award given to the top small forward in Division I men’s college basketball will go through three rounds of voting, with the opportunity of earning an additional vote by landing in the top 10 of a fan vote. The list will be narrowed down to 10 in late January, with five finalists ultimately being announced in late February.

The winner of the 2021 Julius Erving Award will be presented on Friday, April 9, 2021, along with the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Point Guard Award, the Jerry West Shooting Guard Award, the Karl Malone Power Forward Award, and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center Award, in addition to the Women’s Starting Five.