TyTy Washington named finalist for Jerry West Award

After a stellar freshman season thus far, TyTy Washington is up for one of the top awards in college basketball. Washington is one of ten finalists for the Jerry West Award, given annually to the nation’s best shooting guard. He is the only freshman and the only player from the Southeastern Conference on the list.

2022 Jerry West Award Top 10 Watch List

Washington is the only freshman in the country averaging at least 13.0 points, 4.0 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and shooting at least 49% from the field and at least 37% from 3-point range. When Sahvir Wheeler went down with an injury in the LSU game, Washington stepped in as point guard and broke John Wall’s single-game school record with 17 assists. He leads the SEC and is 27th nationally with a 2.67 assist-to-turnover ratio. He also is now fifth in the league and 75th overall with 4.4 assists per game. Washington has double-doubles this season in both points and rebounds and points and assists, becoming the first Wildcat to do so since Ashton Hagans in the 2019-20 season.

TyTy has won SEC Freshman of the Week five times this season. His streak of winning it four weeks in a row is the first since Devin Booker’s in the 2014-15 season. Kansas’ Ochai Agbaji is likely the frontrunner for the Jerry West Award, but if TyTy brings it home, he’ll be the first Cat to do so since Malik Monk in 2017.