Saunders named to Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Mid Season Top 10 List

PROVO, Utah – BYU’s Richie Saunders was named to the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Mid Season Top 10 list on Tuesday morning.

BYU is one of four schools to have a player on both the men’s and women’s shooting guard of the year Top 10 lists with Delaney Gibb being named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award. 

2026 Naismith Starting 5 - Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Mid Season Top 10 List
Name	School
Brayden Burries	Arizona
Cameron Carr	Baylor
Richie Saunders	BYU
Isaiah Evans	Duke
Emanuel Sharp	Houston
Keaton Wagler	Illinois
Darryn Peterson	Kansas
Solo Ball	UConn
Duke Miles	Vanderbilt
John Blackwell	Wisconsin

*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point during the 2025-26 season

Saunders enters the week averaging 19.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 50.2 percent from the field, 39.6 percent from three and 82.0 percent from the free throw line. He has scored in double figures 19 times including in 12 straight games highlighted by a career-high 33 points at No. 14 Kansas on Saturday where he became just the sixth Cougar since 2008 to have a 30-10 performance.

All those NBA scouts at the Phog are seeing a future pro in Richie Saunders.

— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) January 31, 2026

With his six 3-pointers on Saturday, the senior became the first Cougar since Jake Toolson in 2020 to knock down 25 or more 3-pointers in a month. He also became the 19^th player in program history to score 1,500 points.

The Riverton native was named the MVP of Terry’s Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational in November after scoring 29 points in the championship game against Dayton. With the Cougars trailing by as much as 13, Saunders scored 21 points in the second half to spearhead the comeback as he went 7-of-9 from the field, 4-of-5 from three and 3-of-3 from the charity stripe.

Saunders and No. 16 BYU finishes its two-game road trip on Wednesday, Feb. 4, at Oklahoma State. Tip is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT on FS1.

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. 

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.