Dix Named to Jerry West Award Watch List
10/28/2025 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Dix is a Shooting Guard of the Year candidate.
SPRINGFIELD, MASS. (October 28, 2025) — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced that Creighton's Josh Dix is one of 20 candidates on the watch list for the 2026 Jerry West Award. Named after Class of 1980 Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player Jerry West, the annual honor, in its 12th year, recognizes the top shooting guards in Division I men's college basketball.
A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
A senior from Council Bluffs, Iowa, Dix averaged 14.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists at Iowa last season. He shot 50.7 percent from the floor and converted 42.2 percent of his three-point attempts. Dix owns 826 career points, 206 rebounds and 176 assists in 97 career games over three seasons at Iowa. One week ago he was named Preseason Second Team All-BIG EAST in a vote of league coaches.
Dix is the fifth Creighton player to be named to the Jerry West Award at some point in a season. Marcus Foster was one of 10 finalists in 2016-17, and made it all the way to the final round of five candidates in 2018. Mitch Ballock did not advance past the preseason list in 2020-21 that eventually was trimmed down, and Ty-Shon Alexander was a finalist after starting the season as a preseason watch list candidate in 2019-20. Most recently, Trey Alexander was named to the Preseason and Midseason list in 2023-24.
Dix is also looking to become the second Bluejay in as many years to pick up a major award, as Ryan Kalkbrenner won the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award in April.
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.
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 Award 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 and the Hall of Fame's selection committee, where winners will be selected. The Selection Committees for the Jerry West Award is composed of top men's college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers.
The winner of the 2026 West Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the other four members of the Men's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Award (Point Guard), Julius Erving Award (Small Forward), Karl Malone Award (Power Forward), and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (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).
For more information on the 2025 Jerry West Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophallu and #WestAward on X and Instagram.
About the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
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, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 475 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the 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 over 150 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum, and events, visit hoophall.com and follow @hoophallu.
A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
A senior from Council Bluffs, Iowa, Dix averaged 14.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists at Iowa last season. He shot 50.7 percent from the floor and converted 42.2 percent of his three-point attempts. Dix owns 826 career points, 206 rebounds and 176 assists in 97 career games over three seasons at Iowa. One week ago he was named Preseason Second Team All-BIG EAST in a vote of league coaches.
Dix is the fifth Creighton player to be named to the Jerry West Award at some point in a season. Marcus Foster was one of 10 finalists in 2016-17, and made it all the way to the final round of five candidates in 2018. Mitch Ballock did not advance past the preseason list in 2020-21 that eventually was trimmed down, and Ty-Shon Alexander was a finalist after starting the season as a preseason watch list candidate in 2019-20. Most recently, Trey Alexander was named to the Preseason and Midseason list in 2023-24.
Dix is also looking to become the second Bluejay in as many years to pick up a major award, as Ryan Kalkbrenner won the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award in April.
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.
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 Award 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 and the Hall of Fame's selection committee, where winners will be selected. The Selection Committees for the Jerry West Award is composed of top men's college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers.
The winner of the 2026 West Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the other four members of the Men's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Award (Point Guard), Julius Erving Award (Small Forward), Karl Malone Award (Power Forward), and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (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).
For more information on the 2025 Jerry West Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophallu and #WestAward on X and Instagram.
About the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
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, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 475 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the 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 over 150 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum, and events, visit hoophall.com and follow @hoophallu.
Players Mentioned
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