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NCAA Basketball: Ranking the 20 candidates for 2022-23 Jerry West Award

By Tristan Freeman

KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 11: Terrence Shannon Jr. #1 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders brings the ball up court during the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at T-Mobile Center on March 11, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 11: Terrence Shannon Jr. #1 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders brings the ball up court during the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at T-Mobile Center on March 11, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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NCAA Basketball
NCAA Basketball Bryant University Bulldogs guard Charles Pride Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /

The Jerry West Award is given each year to the best shooting guard in all of NCAA Basketball, essentially the best pure scorers that aren’t tasked with being the point guard as well. Last year, Johnny Davis of Wisconsin won the title after averaging 19.7 ppg and 8.2 rpg and leading them to a share of the Big Ten regular-season title.

This season, it looks to be a wide-open award on paper. There are a ton of quality pure scorers in NCAA Basketball, and 20 players made the introductory cut as candidates to watch. Here’s a look at how I would rank each of them in terms of chances of winning the Jerry West Award.

20. Taevion Kinsley – Marshall Thundering Herd

2021-22 stats: 19.1 ppg and 4.2 apg

The 5th-year senior has been one of the best mid-major scorers in NCAA Basketball in the past couple of years, scoring 19+ ppg in the past two years. He was in double figures in all but one game last season and had a pair of 30+ point efforts as well. Kinsley also had multiple games of 10+ assists and rebounds and was on triple-double watch on several occasions.

The veteran scorer will once again put up tremendous stats for the Herd but the team has to be much better to put him on the national radar. Marshall finished in the bottom of Conference USA and moves over to a competitive Sun Belt this year. Unless they make a full turnaround, it’s hard to see Kinsley making the next cut.

19. Charles Pride – Bryant Bulldogs

2021-22 stats: 17.7 ppg and 8.6 rpg

The All-NEC guard played fiddle next to last season’s NCAA Basketball leading scorer Peter Kiss but still managed to put up big stats, including 44 points and 12 rebounds versus Saint Francis (PA). Pride also had nine games of at least 24 points and is an elite rebounder for someone his size at 6’4.

Pride goes from the Northeast Conference to the America East, which is a lower-tier league out of the 32. On such a small stage, he’ll have to put around the same numbers that Kiss did to have a chance. Pride very much could as he produced 30+ points when he was out but it’s hard to see a Bryant player being in contention.

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