Livers, Wagner Named to Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Watch Lists
11/5/2020 10:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- University of Michigan men's basketball senior guard Isaiah Livers and sophomore guard Franz Wagner were recently named to preseason Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame watch lists for the upcoming 2020-21 season.
Livers was among 20 candidates named to the Julius Erving Small Forward Award listing, while Wagner was selected for the Jerry West Shooting Guard Award. Both Livers and Wagner returned to Juwan Howard's program after exploring entering the 2020 NBA Draft.
Earning All-Big Ten honors last season, Livers returns for his final season in Ann Arbor just 314 points away from scoring 1,000 in his career. One of the Wolverines' most versatile players, he started 21 games last season after missing 10 games due to injury (groin/ankle).
Despite missing one-third of the season, he still tied for the team lead with 12.9 points per contest, posting 14 double-figure games, including scoring a career-best 24 points against Houston Baptist (Nov. 22, 2019) after shooting a near-perfect 9-for-10 from the field, 4-for-5 on three-pointers and 2-for-2 on free throws. He added a U-M best 40.2 percent from long range and 4.0 rebounds per game.
A member of the 2020 Big Ten All-Freshman team a year ago, Wagner returns to building off his stellar first season. After missing the first four games due to a fractured wrist, he started the next 27 straight games, averaging 11.6 points and grabbing 5.6 rebounds per game. He led U-M with 34 steals and was third with 16 blocks.
Former Wolverine National Player of the Year and consensus All-American Trey Burke is the only Wolverine to receive a Hall of Fame honor after he was named the winner of the Bob Cousy Award for the nation's top point guard in 2013.
The winners of the Hall of Fame Awards will be announced on Friday, April 9, 2021, along with the other four members of the Men's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Cousy Award, the Karl Malone Power Forward Award and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center Award in addition to the Women's Starting Five.
For more information on all the awards and the latest updates, visit www.hoophallawards.com.
2021 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award Candidates
Derrick Alston Jr., Boise State
Jalen Johnson, Duke
Wendell Moore, Duke
Jayden Gardner, East Carolina
Keyontae Johnson, Florida
Corey Kispert, Gonzaga
Brandon Boston Jr., Kentucky
D.J. Jeffries, Memphis
Aaron Wiggins, Maryland
Isaiah Livers, Michigan
Aaron Henry, Michigan State
Ron Harper Jr., Rutgers
Matt Mitchell, San Diego State
Ziaire Williams, Stanford
Yves Pons, Tennessee
Terrence Shannon, Jr., Texas Tech
Chris Smith, UCLA
Timmy Allen, Utah
Jermaine Samuels, Villanova
Sam Hauser, Virginia
2021 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award Candidates
John Petty Jr., Alabama
Terry Taylor, Austin Peay
MaCio Teague, Baylor
Matt Bradley, California
James Bouknight, Connecticut
Mitch Ballock, Creighton
Kellan Grady, Davidson
Antoine Davis, Detroit Mercy
DJ Steward, Duke
Scottie Lewis, Florida
MJ Walker, Florida State
Joel Ayayi, Gonzaga
Caleb Mills, Houston
Joe Wieskamp, Iowa
Ochai Agbaji, Kansas
Terrence Clarke, Kentucky
Franz Wagner, Michigan
Jordan Goodwin, Saint Louis
Justin Moore, Villanova
Paul Scruggs, Xavier
