Syracuse Basketball: Elijah Hughes’ Erving Award snub is utter nonsense

Syracuse basketball star Elijah Hughes didn’t make the final cut for the 2020 Julius Erving Award, and it’s a truly ridiculous omission.

Syracuse basketball sensation Elijah Hughes, who currently leads the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring and is having one of the best all-around seasons in recent Orange hoops memory, apparently is not one of the five premier small forwards across the country in the 2019-20 campaign.

Yes, I’m a total homer when it comes to the ‘Cuse, so not everything I write about the program is completely objective. However, for the folks who decide the winner of the 2020 Julius Erving Award to not have Hughes among the five finalists is an absolute joke. There’s no other manner to slice it.

On Wednesday, this tweet revealed the five guys who remain in contention for this honor, which is bestowed annually to the best small forward in Division I men’s basketball. Those players, all of whom have had tremendous terms, are Gonzaga’s Corey Kispert, Louisville’s Jordan Nwora, Memphis’ Precious Achiuwa, Villanova’s Saddiq Bey and Xavier’s Naji Marshall.

A few weeks back, a group of 10 studs got unveiled for the Julius Erving Award, with Hughes, the redshirt junior forward, among them. But now Hughes has gotten the boot, and it’s just not right.

This fine young man took to Twitter not long after the news broke, saying, “never needed hype.” You have to love that kind of response. Hughes is a consummate professional and a team-first leader who doesn’t need accolades to prove his talents, even if he unequivocally deserves more national recognition.

I get the argument that Syracuse, currently residing at 17-13, isn’t a super strong crew in 2019-20. That’s fine. But if you’re going to go down that road, let’s remember that Xavier is hovering near the bubble, albeit on the happy side of it, and it’s entirely feasible that Memphis won’t gain entry into the Big Dance.

Furthermore, I adamantly feel that Hughes is as valuable to the Orange, if not greater so than any of the five finalists are to their respective squads. Seriously, how many games would the ‘Cuse have triumphed in this stanza without Hughes in the lineup?

We all know how head coach Jim Boeheim would answer that question. Plus, as Mike Waters of Syracuse.com noted in a tweet, in Achiuwa’s case, he hasn’t suited up at small forward in 2019-20. So why exactly is he on this list?

Finally, and then I’ll get off my soapbox, Hughes is superior to several of these other dudes from a purely statistical standpoint. Let’s examine.

Hughes is averaging 19.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists per contest. Kispert is at 14.3 points, 4.1 boards and 2.1 dimes. Nwora is producing 18.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. Achiuwa is generating 15.5 points, 10.4 boards, and 0.9 dimes. Bey is tallying 15.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. And Marshall is collecting 16.5 points, 6.3 boards, and 3.9 dimes.

I’m hardly a math whizz, but it seems that Hughes is getting hosed. Regardless, he’ll keep doing fabulous things on the court, likely end up in the pros, and cement his legacy on the Hill. The decision-makers of the Julius Erving Award significantly messed up by not including Hughes. But that won’t, in any way, diminish his achievements.