The Basketball Hall of Fame named Caleb Love a finalist on Tuesday for the Jerry West Award as the best shooting guard nationally. VJ Edgecombe of Baylor, PJ Haggerty of Memphis, Chaz Lanier from Tennessee and Tre Johnson of Texas are the other West Award Finalists.
Love leads Arizona averaging 16.2 points per game and also contributes, 4.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals. In the inaugural Big XII game for Arizona, Love scored a season-high 33 points. Love has scored 20 or more 10 times this season. Arizona is 8-2 when Love scores at least 20 points
Edgecombe scored 38 points this season in two games versus Arizona and had 10 rebounds, five assists, four steals and one block while shooting 46.2 percent from the floor, 23.1 percent on three-point attempts and made 11-14 free throws that all came in the second game against the Wildcats.
Edgecombe averages 14.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 3.3 APG and shoots 43.6 percent from the floor, 35.5 percent on three-point attempts and 77.3 percent from the free throw line. The season high for Edgecombe was 30 on 8-13 from the floor, 3-7 on three-point attempts and 11-12 from the free throw line versus Kansas State.
Caleb has been named a finalist for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award 💪 pic.twitter.com/iUdDNdM8Ze
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) March 4, 2025
Haggerty leads Memphis averaging 21.4 PPG and 5.4 RPG and is second posting 3.8 APG while shooting 49.5 percent from the floor, 40.5 percent on three-point attempts and 79.1 percent from the free throw line. Haggerty has scored 20 or more points 20 times this season with a high of 29 in an 80-74 Memphis win at UNLV.
After transferring from North Florida, Lanier leads Tennessee with 17.8 PPG and is contributing 3.9 RPG and 1.0 APG on 42.5 percent from the floor, 40.7 percent on three-point attempts and 78.3 percent from the free throw line. Lanier scored a season-high 30 points in Tennessee's 77-69 win at Texas A&M on February 22.
Johnson leads the SEC averaging 20.6 PPG and contributes 3.1 RPG and 2.6 APG while shooting 44.6 percent from the floor, 39.0 percent on three-point attempts and is second in the SEC shooting 88.3 percent from the free throw line. Johnson has 12 20-point games this season, three over 30 and scored a career-high 39 points in a Texas loss at Arkansas.
Going by the numbers it seems the race is between Haggety and Johnson. It could be argued Lanier has meant the most to his team. Memphis is projected as a seven seed in the NCAA Tournament and Texas is firmly on the bubble. Tennessee is competing to be a one-seed with SEC rivals Alabama and Florida.