No. 19/19 Men’s Basketball’s Kaluma named to Julius Erving Award preseason watch list

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — University of Texas Men's Basketball senior Arthur Kaluma is one of 20 preseason watch list candidates for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced Wednesday. Named after Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player Julius Erving, the annual honor now in its 11th year recognizes the top small forward in Division I men's college basketball.

The list will be narrowed down to 10 players in early February, with plans to announce the five finalists in early March. The award winner and presentation details will be revealed at the Final Four in San Antonio. The list will remain fluid, and players will have the ability to play themselves on or off the list until the five finalists are selected.

Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds.

Kaluma has played in 101 career games (99 starts) during the previous three years at K-State (2023-24) and Creighton (2021-23). He has career totals of 1,233 points (12.2 ppg) and 619 rebounds (6.1 rpg) in 3,055 minutes (30.2 mpg). Kaluma has converted 43.1-percent (423-982) from the floor and 72.8-percent (268-368) from the free throw line in his career. He has reached double figures in scoring 68 times in his career, including ten 20-point efforts. Kaluma has reached double digits in rebounds nine times in his career while recording eight career double-doubles.

Kaluma earned honorable mention All-Big 12 accolades as a junior in 2023-24, as he was just one of four Big 12 players to rank in the top-15 in both scoring (13th) and rebounding (fifth) last season. He led Kansas State in rebounding (7.0 rpg) and ranked third in scoring (14.4 ppg), assists (67), steals (27) and minutes (34.5 mpg). A two-time Big 12 Newcomer of the Week selection (Jan. 22 and Feb. 16), Kaluma was named one of five USBWA National Player of the Week honorees (Dec. 12) and the Big 12 Player of the Week (Dec. 11) after averaging 21.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game during wins over Villanova (Dec. 5) and at LSU (Dec. 9).

Kaluma started all 37 games and led Creighton to the NCAA Elite Eight as a sophomore in 2022-23. He played in 31 of 35 games (30 starts) during his freshman season and paced Creighton to the 2022 NCAA Tournament Round of 32 while earning BIG EAST All-Freshman and All-Tournament Team honors.

No. 19/19 Texas opens the 2024-25 season with a neutral-site contest against Ohio State on Monday, Nov. 4 as part of the Hall of Fame Series Las Vegas Opening Night event. Tip is slated for approximately 9 p.m. Central (7 p.m. Pacific) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and the game will be televised nationally by TNT and truTV and streamed by Max. The Longhorns will play their home opener against Houston Christian presented by Truist on Friday, Nov. 8. Tipoff for the home opener is set for 7 p.m. Central in Moody Center, and the contest will be streamed by SEC Network+.

For more information on the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award and the latest updates, visit www.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophallu and #ErvingAward on Twitter and Instagram.

2025 Julius Erving Award Preseason Watch List

Player	School
Trey Townsend	Arizona
B.J. Freeman	Arizona State
Chad Baker-Mazara	Auburn
Tyson Degenhart	Boise State
Cooper Flagg	Duke
Michael Ajayi	Gonzaga
Mackenzie Mgbako	Indiana
Payton Sandfort	Iowa
Milan Momcilovic	Iowa State
A.J. Storr	Kansas
Jaxson Robinson	Kentucky
Matthew Cleveland	Miami
Frankie Fidler	Michigan State
Mark Mitchell	Missouri
Ian Jackson	North Carolina
Drake Powell	North Carolina
Ace Bailey	Rutgers
Arthur Kaluma	TEXAS
Liam McNeeley	UConn
Tucker DeVries	West Virginia

The University of Texas at Austin Athletics

No. 19/19 Men’s Basketball’s Kaluma named to Julius Erving Award preseason watch list

Players Mentioned

Arthur Kaluma