Arizona Basketball: Ben Mathurin on the Jerry West watchlist

With the Arizona Basketball season just around the corner, sophomore wing Ben Mathurin is on the Jerry West watchlist for 2021-22.

Things are heating up in the desert as the Arizona Basketball team is gearing up to play for the 2021-22 season, and a big part of the teams’ success this year will depend on the play of sophomore wing, Ben Mathurin.

Just a freshman last year that came in as an international star, Mathurin quickly became a fan favorite and showed off his skill en route to becoming not only one of the better players on the Wildcats but in the Pac-12 Conference overall.

Finishing the year averaging 10.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game in 26 games played, it is safe to say Mathurin had a solid year.

And with Arizona Basketball hoping to return to the NCAA Tournament, Ben Mathurin is going to be crucial to the teams’ success.

Coming into 2021-22, Mathurin has a lot of hype surrounding his game, and with good reason too. Arizona missed the tournament last year due to the self-imposed postseason ban, but again Ben was a big part of what that team did.

And with a big sophomore campaign, Mathurin could potentially be gone, which is in part why others are buying the hype.

So naturally, just ahead of the season, Mathurin has earned himself a spot on the highly coveted Jerry West watchlist, an annual award that is given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top shooting guard in Men’s Collegiate Basketball.

The award is certainly prestigious, and not just anybody is put on the watchlist. Maybe the expectations of Mathurin are a bit high, but they surely are not unexpected either, this is a kid that had a big summer competing with Canada in the FIBA U-19 Tournament and he could be poised for a big season! Either way, we are excited!