Oklahoma guard Buddy Hield is one of five national finalists for the inaugural Jerry West Award, presented for the first time to the best shooting guard in the college basketball.

The second Sooner to be named Big 12 Player of the Year, Hield leads the conference in scoring with 17.4 points per game. He is also first in the league in 3-pointers made (2.7 pg) and is also first among all Big 12 guards with 5.5 rebounds per contest.

Hield, who was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team two weeks ago, has paced OU in scoring in 11 of the last 17 games. He scored in double figures in 17 of 18 conference outings and registered at least 20 points eight times in league play. He was also one of 15 players named to the John R. Wooden Award ballot for national player of the year.

These positional awards were introduced during the 2014-15 season, in addition to the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award presented by College of the Holy Cross, which is now in its 12th year. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel narrowed the original player watch lists down to the final five candidates in each position.

“For many years, the Basketball Hall of Fame has recognized the top collegiate point guards in the nation with the Bob Cousy Award. This season, we are excited to expand upon these awards by recognizing the top players at each position,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “The finalists selected exhibit tremendous athleticism and remarkable drive. They are the best of the best and we are pleased to be recognizing them for their efforts.”

The winners of the Basketball Hall of Fame college basketball awards will be determined by a combination of fan votes and input from the Hall of Fame’s selection committees. Fans are encouraged to visit HoophallAwards.com to cast their votes March 9-18. The winners of the inaugural awards will be awarded at ESPN’s new College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy’s from Club Nokia in Los Angeles, Calif. on Friday, April 10, 2015. The awards will be televised live on ESPN2 at 7:00 pm CT.

2015 Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award Finalists
Ron Baker, Wichita State University
Jerian Grant, University of Notre Dame
Tyler Haws, Brigham Young University
BUDDY HIELD, University of Oklahoma
D’Angelo Russell, Ohio State University