PROVO, Utah – BYU’s Bruce Branch III was named to the Naismith Starting 5 – Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List on Wednesday morning.
The freshman looks to become the second straight Cougar to win the award, after AJ Dybantsa received the honor last season for leading the nation in scoring at 25.5 points per game and scoring the third-most points by a freshman in NCAA Division I men’s basketball history.
| 2026 Naismith Starting 5 - Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List | |
| Name | School |
| Amari Allen | Alabama |
| Bruce Branch III | BYU |
| Coen Carr | Michigan State |
| Davis Fogle | Gonzaga |
| Amani Hansberry | Virginia Tech |
| Juke Harris | Tennessee |
| Thomas Haugh | Florida |
| Shelton Henderson | Florida |
| Ivan Kharchenkov | Arizona |
| Nikola Kusturica | UCLA |
| Colben Landrew | UConn |
| Milan Momcilovic | Kentucky |
| Billy Richmond III | Arkansas |
| Pryce Sandfort | Nebraska |
| Dame Sarr | Duke |
| Andrej Stojakovic | Illinois |
| Tyran Stokes | Kansas |
| Anthony Thompson | Ohio State |
| Aiden Tobiason | Syracuse |
| Tounde Yessoufou | St. John's |
In BYU’s two exhibition wins, Branch III averaged 14.5 points, 6.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 30.0 percent from 3-point range.
The native of Gilbert, Ariz. flirted with a double-double in Saturday’s 89-77 win over UNLV finishing with 14 points and eight assists in 30 minutes of action. With the Cougars trailing by one at halftime, the McDonald’s All-American nearly led the comeback single handedly with 12 points and six assists, two of those coming on alley-oops to Khadim Mboup.
In BYU’s 72-61 win over Nebraska, Branch III had 15 points, six rebounds, five assists and a steal in his first-ever game at the Marriott Center. The 6-foot-8 forward went 6-of-9 from the field and 3-of-5 from behind the arc as Cougars outscored the Cornhuskers 44-29 after halftime.
that's how you end a game 😎 https://t.co/YwFKCU0Olu
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) October 17, 2026
The No. 6 recruit in SCNext 100 made his international debut for USA Basketball this summer helping them earn a silver medal at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup in Mexico. He earned second team all-tournament honors after averaging 8.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game.
About the Julius Erving Award
The annual Julius Erving Award, named after the Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 17-year professional basketball player, celebrates its 13th year by recognizing the top small forwards in Division I men's college basketball.
In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2026 Julius Erving Award will be narrowed to 10, and then in late February, to just five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Erving 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 2027 Julius Erving Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the four other members of the Men’s Starting Five.