IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa junior Payton Sandfort has been named to the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Preseason Watch List, it was announced Wednesday by the Basketball Hall of Fame. Sandfort is one of 20 players selected to the watch list for an award that recognizes the top small forwards in men’s college basketball annually.
Sandfort is one of three student-athletes from the Big Ten Conference on the list along with Michigan State’s Coen Carr and Wisconsin’s Tyler Wahl. The list will be fluid throughout the season as players will have the ability to play themselves on and off the list.
Fans are encouraged to participate in fan voting, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds, beginning Friday, Oct. 27. In late January, the list will be narrowed down to 10 players, and it will be trimmed to five in late February. The award recipient will be announced in March.
As a sophomore, Sandfort averaged 10.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists en route to earning Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year honors. He made 59 3-point field goals during the season – second-most on the team.
The Waukee, Iowa, native reached double figures in 14 games, including six 20-point contests. He made multiple 3-pointers in 16 games, including four or more in five games.
The Hawkeyes open the 2023-24 season hosting Quincy in an exhibition game on Oct. 30 on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa’s regular season begins with a home game against North Dakota on Nov. 7.
