Maurice Watson Jr.
Photo by: A.J. Olnes
Maurice Watson Jr. Named a Senior CLASS Award Candidate
1/5/2017 4:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Senior point guard leads the nation in assists
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Creighton men's basketball point guard Maurice Watson Jr. is one of 30 NCAA men's basketball student-athletes who excel both on and off the court that were selected as candidates today for the 2016-17 Senior CLASS Award® in collegiate basketball.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
Each of the 30 candidate classes will be narrowed to fields of 10 finalists in February, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one male candidate and one female candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
Watson averages 13.3 points per game this season and leads the nation with 8.8 assists per game and 132 total assists. Watson's 766 career assists is also the most among the nation's active players. He was named a Preseason All-BIG EAST pick and is one of the leaders on a Bluejay basketball team that is off to a 14-1 start and ranked 10th nationally.
Watson is the seventh Creighton Men's Basketball student-athlete to make the Senior CLASS cut in recent seasons, joining Kyle Korver (2002-03), Anthony Tolliver (2006-07), Dane Watts (2007-08), Josh Dotzler (2008-09), Kenny Lawson Jr. (2010-11), Doug McDermott (2013-14). Former Creighton men's soccer goalkeeper Brian Holt won the 2011 Senior CLASS Award on the pitch, while McDermott won the 2014 Senior CLASS Award on the hardwood.
The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four® and NCAA Women's Final Four® this spring. For more information on each of the candidates, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.
ABOUT THE AWARD
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award honors the attributes of senior student-athletes in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition. The award program is designed exclusively for college seniors who are utilizing their complete athletic eligibility, remaining committed to their university and pursuing the many rewards a senior season can bring. Premier Sports Management manages the award.
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