BYU freshman 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, October 28. The freshman is attempting to become the second consecutive Cougar to win the award after AJ Dybantsa received the honor last season for leading the nation in scoring with 25.5 points per game.
Branch III, a native of Gilbert, Ariz., has performed well in BYU's two exhibition wins. He 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. During a Saturday win over UNLV, the McDonald’s All-American finished with 14 points and eight assists in 30 minutes of action. In a 72-61 victory over Nebraska, Branch III recorded 15 points, six rebounds, five assists, and a steal in his first game at the Marriott Center.
The No. 6 recruit in SCNext 100 also recently made his international debut for USA Basketball. This summer, he helped the team earn a silver medal at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup in Mexico, where he earned second team all-tournament honors after averaging 8.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game.
The annual Julius Erving Award recognizes the top small forwards in Division I men’s college basketball. The 20-player preseason watch list will be narrowed to 10 players in late January and then to five finalists in late February. The winners are selected in March by committees composed of media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers.
In other BYU sports news, the No. 25 men's golf team took second place at 21 under par at The Preserve Golf Club Collegiate at Santa Lucia Preserve on Tuesday, marking the team's best finish of the season. Drake Harvey finished second at 9 under to earn his first career top-five finish, while Peter Kim tied for fifth at 6 under. The team will return to competition at the Arizona N.I.T. in Tucson, Arizona, on Feb. 1-2, 2027.
The winner of the 2027 Julius Erving Award will be presented on a date to be determined, alongside the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five.
