The NCAA announced Wednesday the 30 candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award for men's basketball.
Senior guard Jermey Hazell was among those listed as a candidate. Hazell is not only the only player from the Hall listed among the players but also the only player from the Big East conference mentioned.
The award is for NCAA Division 1 senior athletes that have notable achievements in four areas; community, classroom, character, and competition.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School (CLASS), the award focuses on the student-athlete and their ability to make an impact as leaders in their surrounding communities.
"The young men and women who have been selected as candidates for the basketball award are shining examples of student-athletes who exercise time management every day, juggling class work and community service with practice and games," Lowe's Senior Vice President of Marketing Tom Lamb said. "The ability to balance things that are important to them will be a skill they will use throughout their lives."?
Hazell, who led the Hall in scoring with 20.9 points per game last season, third in the Big East, returns with a chance to break the school record for career points, currently held by Terry Dehere with 2,494 points. Currently, Hazell is in a tie for eighth place on the all-time list with 1,789 points, 705 points behind Dehere.
Despite being the leading returning scorer in the Big East Conference, Hazell also returns to the league being the active leader in three-pointers made, steals, and steals average per game.
The 30 candidates will be narrowed down to the 10 finalists midway through the regular season and placed on the official ballot. The 10 finalists will be voted on by the media, coaches and fans to determine the player who best exemplifies what the award stands for.
Besides being named one of the candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, Hazell was also named one of the Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 players, awarded to the best player in the country annually. He was also voted by the Big East coaches onto the preseason all-conference first-team.
Stephen Valenti can be reached at stephen.valenti@student.shu.edu.
