Joe Wieskamp Named Jerry West Award Semifinalist

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced on Tuesday the 10 semifinalists for the 2021 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award, which includes University of Iowa junior Joe Wieskamp.

It marks the third time in five seasons that a Hawkeye has been named a semifinalist for the award (Wieskamp, 2020; Peter Jok, 2017).

Named after Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player Jerry West, the annual honor in its sixth year recognizes the top shooting guards in Division I men’s college basketball. Fans can vote for their favorite player starting Friday, Jan. 29, at hoophallawards.com.

Wieskamp (6-foot-6, 212 pounds) ranks second on the team in scoring (14.5 ppg) and rebounding (6.7 rpg). The native of Muscatine, Iowa, ranks seventh in the league in field goal percentage, making 50 percent of his attempts (75-of-150), 14th in 3-pointers made per game (1.8), and 15th in defensive rebounds per game (5.1). Wieskamp has scored in double figures in 11 of Iowa’s 15 games this season and 56 career times. He became the 50th player in program history to score 1,000 career points on Jan. 20, 2021.

Wieskamp has averaged 17.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists, making a combined eight 3-pointers (8-of-11, .727), over Iowa’s last three contests.

In late February, five finalists will be presented to Mr. West and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2021 Jerry West Award will be presented on April 9, along with the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five.

No. 7 Iowa (12-3, 6-2) returns to action on Friday at No. 19 Illinois (10-5, 6-3). Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. (CT) at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. The game will be televised on FS1.

2021 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award Candidates