Jayden Quaintance, BJ Freeman land on preseason awards watch lists for ASU men’s basketball

ASU men’s basketball has its first members of preseason awards watch lists since 2021 in Jayden Quaintance and BJ Freeman, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced.

Quaintance was among 20 candidates for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award given to the nation’s best center, and Freeman was part of the 20 for the Julius Erving Award, which recognizes the best small forward.

The placement of Quaintance on an award watch list for centers is ironic, given that head coach Bobby Hurley said on Sept. 27 that the 17-year-old is “more like a point guard than he is a center.”

“He’s 6-foot-9, he’s got really good footwork, he can dribble the ball, gets low. He can pass the ball,” Hurley said. “He’s one of our best passers for a big guy. He’s very advanced for someone that just turned 17 in July.”

In a 103-47 exhibition loss at Duke that didn’t feature many bright spots, Quaintance was the brightest. He finished with team highs in points (11, tied with Basheer Jihad), rebounds (six), assists (three, tied with Alston Mason) and blocks (two).

What a move by @qjayhoops 🤯

📺 ACC Network pic.twitter.com/fFeR24WR1X

— Sun Devil MBB (@SunDevilHoops) October 27, 2024

Quaintance was the only Sun Devil with more than two made shots (5 of 13 overall).

Freeman started alongside Quaintance but, like much of the team, struggled to hit shots. He finished 2 of 9 from the floor, including 2 of 7 from distance.

The wing was highly productive at UW Milwaukee, averaging 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists in addition to a Horizon League-best 21.1 points per game.

Remy Martin was the last Sun Devil to be named to a preseason national award watch list. He was targeted for the Bob Cousy Award for the best point guard in 2021. Ayo Dosunmu of Illinois, now with the Chicago Bulls, won the award that season.

The Arizona Wildcats were represented on both lists, as Mo Krivas was among the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award candidates and KJ Lewis was among those for the Julius Erving Award.

Arizona guard Caleb Love and Grand Canyon wing Tyon Grant-Foster were named to the overall Naismith Men’s Player of the Year watch list.

Here’s which Big 12 players appeared on the lists, which accounted for eight of the 40 total candidates:

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award candidates from the Big 12:

– Jayden Quaintance, Arizona State

– Mo Krivas, Arizona

– Hunter Dickinson, Kansas

Julius Erving Award candidates from the Big 12:

– BJ Freeman, Arizona State

– KJ Lewis, Arizona

– Milan Momcilovic, Iowa State

– A.J. Storr, Kansas

– Tucker DeVries, West Virginia