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GU's Hachimura wins 2019 Julius Erving Award

Zags' junior Rui Hachimura was named the nation's best small forward after Gonzaga Men's Basketball finished their season in the Elite Eight of the 2019 NCAA Tournament.

LOS ANGELES, Calif — Gonzaga's Rui Hachimura received the Julius Erving Award at the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show, presented by Wendy's, at the Novo theater on Friday.

Named after Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player Julius Erving, the annual honor in its fifth year recognizes the top small forward in Division I men's college basketball. The winner of the 2019 Small Forward of the Year Award was determined by a combination of fan votes and input from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's selection committee.

Hachimura accepted the award from Erving at the show. The five finalists for the 2019 Julius Erving Award were Hachimura, Marial Shayok (Iowa State), Caleb Martin (Nevada), Admiral Schofield (Tennessee) and De'Andre Hunter (Virginia).

Hachimura was tabbed the 2019 West Coast Conference Player of the Year and the USBWA District IX Player of the Year. He was named first team All-American by the NABC and the USBWA. He averaged 19.7 points per game this season, shooting 59.1 percent from the field. The junior added 6.5 rebounds per game and finished with 27 blocks this season. He made 63.5 percent of his shots from the field in conference play, which ranked fourth in the league.

Hachimura scored in double-digits in 35 of the Zags' 37 games this season, reaching 20 or more points 21 times. He had four double-doubles in 2018-19. The Toyama, Japan, native scored a career-high 33 points against Idaho State.

Previous winners of the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award include Mikal Bridges, Villanova (2018), Josh Hart, Villanova (2017), Denzel Valentine, Michigan State (2016) and Stanley Johnson, Arizona (2015).

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