Mizzou forward earns spot on Julius Erving Award Watch List

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Duke transfer Mark Mitchell is one of 20 college basketball players in the running for a prestigious honor. The Mizzou newcomer was named to the Julius Erving Award Watch List on Wednesday, which recognizes the top small forward in the nation.

Mitchell, who is entering his first season with the Tigers, was ranked as the No. 7-best transfer in the country by CBS Sports this offseason. The Kansas City native spent the last two seasons at Duke, making the starting lineup for the Blue Devils in 67 games. As a sophomore, Mitchell averaged 11.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, and one year prior, the Mizzou forward scored in double figures in 21-of-33 games as a freshman, including three double-doubles, in a campaign where Duke reached the Elite Eight and won the ACC Tournament Championship.

The Julius Erving Award watch list will shrink down to 10 players in late January, and then, it will narrow down to just five athletes by late February. Finally, Erving and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame selection committees will crown a winner from those five finalists in March. Fan voting for the award is scheduled to begin on Friday, Nov. 1.

Mizzou Men's Basketball tips off the upcoming 2024-25 season on Monday, Nov. 4 with a road trip to Memphis. The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.