Junior Mark Mitchell of the Missouri men’s basketball team was recognized as one of the nation’s top small forwards on Wednesday, earning a spot on the Julius Erving Award Watch List, announced by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
The annual Julius Erving Award, named after the Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player, celebrates its 11th year by recognizing the top small forwards in Division I men’s college basketball. Mitchell is one of 20 players in the country to earn a spot on the exclusive watch list.
Mitchell enters his first season at Mizzou after starting 67 games at Duke the past two seasons. He averaged 11.6 points as a sophomore in 2023-24, ranking second on the team with 6.0 rebounds, 24 blocks and 159 free-throw attempts. Mitchell scored in double figures in 21-of-33 games with five 20-point performances and three double-doubles, helping the Blue Devils to the 2024 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, while also winning an ACC Tournament title as a freshman in 2023.
A native of Kansas City, Kansas, Mitchell ranked as the nation’s No. 7 transfer by CBS Sports. He is one of four players from the SEC to be recognized on the 20-man watch list.
Fans can support their favorite player by participating in Fan Voting starting Friday, November 1. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2025 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.
Mitchell is part of a new look Tigers in 2024-25. Mizzou is one of three programs in the nation to feature a top-15 freshman and transfer class, welcoming the country’s No. 5 freshman group and the nation’s No. 13 transfer class to CoMo.
Missouri officially opens the 2024-25 campaign on Monday, playing at Memphis with a 7 p.m. tipoff.
2024-25 TICKET OPTIONS
Starting at just $285 and $730 for lower-level seats, season tickets are still available for the 2024-25 campaign and are the only way to guarantee a seat for the Tigers’ home game against Kansas in the Border Showdown. Fans can lock in their seats by renewing their tickets through their Mizzou Tigers account, while new season tickets can be purchased by clicking the link here or by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS.
Fans have additional options with a Starting Five and Sixth Man mini plans, while single-game tickets are available by clicking here.
