PROVO, Utah – BYU’s Richie Saunders was named to the Naismith Starting 5 – Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List on Tuesday morning.
The senior is one of five players from the Big 12 on the list, joining Arizona’s Brayden Burries, Houston’s Emmanuel Sharp, Kansas State’s PJ Haggerty and Oklahoma State’s Anthony Roy.
| 2026 Naismith Starting 5 - Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List | |
| Name | School |
| Brayden Burries | Arizona |
| Richie Saunders | BYU |
| Josh Dix | Creighton |
| Isaiah Evans | Duke |
| Xavian Lee | Florida |
| Emmanuel Sharp | Houston |
| Kylan Boswell | Illinois |
| PJ Haggerty | Kansas State |
| Otega Oweh | Kentucky |
| Ryan Conwell | Louisville |
| Seth Trimble | North Carolina |
| Anthony Roy | Oklahoma State |
| Jason Edwards | Providence |
| Ian Jackson | St. John's |
| Solo Ball | UConn |
| Rodney Rice | USC |
| Mason Falslev | Utah State |
| Malik Thomas | Virginia |
| Wesley Yates III | Washington |
| John Blackwell | Wisconsin |
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point during the 2025-26 season
Saunders earned First Team All-Big 12 accolades in 2024-25 after averaging 16.5 points per game, becoming the fifth player in program history to shoot 50/40/80 in a single season. He scored in double figures 28 times, including 13 games with 20-plus. He scored a career-high 30 points in a win over Arizona State on New Year’s Eve, going 6-of-11 from 3-point range.
The 6-foot-5 guard led the Cougars to their third-ever Sweet 16 appearance, averaging 22.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game while shooting 59.5 percent from the field, 41.7 percent from three and 100.0 percent from the free throw line. In the setback to Alabama, Saunders went 10-of-14 from the field, 1-of-2 from three and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe en route to 25 points.
bang 👌 pic.twitter.com/gXT90su2vE
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) October 26, 2025
The Riverton native ranks 49th on BYU’s all-time scoring list with 1,093 points, 579 of those coming last season. He also ranks fifth in program history in five 3-pointer games (5), 14th in most three 3-pointer games (19), 15th in 3-point field goals (141), 15th in 3-point field goal attempts (360) and 16th in 3-point field goal percentage (.392).
He scored in double figures in both of BYU’s exhibition games, including a 14-point performance in the Cougars' 78-76 win over No. 25 North Carolina on Friday evening at the Delta Center.
The Cougars open the 2025-26 season on Monday, Nov. 3, when they face-off against Villanova at the Hall of Fame Series Las Vegas. Tip is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. PT on TNT, TruTV and HBO Max.
About the Jerry West Award
The annual Jerry West Award, named after the late Class of 1980 Hall of Famer and 1959 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player, celebrates its 12th year by highlighting the top shooting guards in Divsion I men's college basketball.
Fans are encouraged to participate in fan voting in each of the three rounds starting on Friday, October 31. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2026 Jerry West Award will be narrowed to 10, and then in late February, to just five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to West's family and the Hall of Fame’s selection committees, where winners will be selected. The selection committees are composted of top men’s college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers.
The winner of the 2026 Jerry West Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the four other members of the Men’s Starting Five.