Vote for Kaluma (starting October 27)

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Junior Arthur Kaluma was one of 20 players named to the preseason Watch List for the 2024 Julius Erving Award, which annually recognizes the nation’s top small forward, by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Wednesday (October 25).

The award is named after the 4-time MVP and 16-year pro Julius Erving, who was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.

Although he was not named to the preseason team, current Oklahoma City Thunder and former Wildcat Keyontae Johnson was selected as a finalist for the Julius Erving Award in 2022-23, along with Alabama’s Brandon Miller, Gonzaga’s Julian Strawther, Kansas’ Jalen Wilson and UCLA’s Jaime Jaquez Jr.

This is the second time that Kaluma has been named to a preseason Watch List after he was chosen to the Watch List for the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Award in 2022-23 while playing at Creighton. Kaluma, along with senior Tylor Perry, were both honorable mention selections to the 2023 Preseason All-Big 12 Team.

Kaluma was one of three Big 12 players on the preseason list, along with Baylor’s Jalen Bridges and Kansas’ Johnny Furphy. Other named include Cal’s Jaylon Tyson, Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman, Drake’s Tucker DeVries, Duke’s Mark Mitchell, Gonzaga’s Anton Watson, Iowa’s Payton Sandfort, Kentucky’s Justin Edwards, Miami’s Matthew Cleveland, Michigan State’s Coen Carr, North Carolina’s Harrison Ingram, Ohio State’s Jamison Battle, St. John’s Glenn Taylor Jr., Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht and Wisconsin’s Tyler Wahl.

Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds beginning Friday, October 27. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2024 Julius Erving Award will be narrowed to 10, and then in late February, to just five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Erving and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee, where a winner will be selected.

A 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward, Kaluma transferred to K-State in June after an impressive 2-year stint (2021-23) at Creighton, where he helped the Bluejays to 47 wins, including 26 in BIG EAST play, a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances (2022, 2023) and the school’s first trip to the Elite Eight in 2022-23.

Kaluma averaged double-figure scoring both seasons at Creighton, totaling 758 points (11.1 ppg.) on 43.3 percent shooting (270-of-624), including 29.1 percent (68-of-234) from 3-point range, and 71.4 percent (150-of-210) from the free throw line in 68 games with 67 starts. As a sophomore, he averaged 11.8 points on 42.3 percent (146-of-345) shooting to go with 6.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists in starting all 37 games for the Bluejays.

Kaluma and the rest of the Wildcats are a week away from playing their only exhibition against Emporia State on Wednesday, November 1.

Tickets for the 2023-24 home schedule continue to move fast with five games now sold out. Tickets start at only $15 for the November home games (minus Bellarmine); $25 for the North Alabama match-up; $30 for the Bellarmine and Big 12 midweek games; and $40 for the remaining Big 12 Saturday games.

Tickets can be purchased through the Athletics Ticket Office by calling toll free at (800) 221.CATS (2287), by logging in online at www.kstatesports.com/tickets, and in-person at the main southwest Bramlage Coliseum ticket office.

A limited number of season tickets for the 2023-24 season are still available for purchase and are the best way to secure your seat in Bramlage all season.

For more information on the 2024 Julius Erving Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophallu and #ErvingAward on X and Instagram.

About Julius Erving

Julius Erving attended the University of Massachusetts (1968-70) and averaged 26.3 points and 20.2 rebounds per game, making him one of only six NCAA men’s basketball players to average more than 20 points and 20 rebounds per game. After two seasons, Erving made the jump to the American Basketball Association and was the league’s most recognizable player when it merged with the National Basketball Association in 1976. During his professional career, Erving won three championships, four Most Valuable Player awards, and three scoring titles. He was named a member of the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996 and was listed as one of the league’s 75 greatest players in 2021.

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 non-profit 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 400 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 70 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, follow @hoophall and or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.