Syracuse's Tobiason Named to Julius Erving Watch List
Junior Aiden Tobiason is one of 20 players on the preseason Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award watch list.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Basketball
Syracuse junior Aiden Tobiason was named to the preseason Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award watch list, announced by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on October 28. Tobiason is one of four ACC players among the 20 honorees.
Why it matters
The watch list gives Tobiason early national recognition after a transfer to Syracuse in 2026 following two seasons at Temple. His rise from 4.8 points per game as a freshman to 15.3 as a sophomore underpins the selection.
Tobiason started 54 of the 59 games he played at Temple and averaged 3.7 rebounds per game in 2025-26. The watch list will be narrowed to 10 players in February and to five finalists in March.
The players
Aiden Tobiason
Tobiason is a junior forward for Syracuse who previously played two seasons at Temple before transferring in 2026.
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
The Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, is the institution that honors basketball's greatest players and coaches and administers the Julius Erving award.
The details
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the 20-player watch list on October 28, 2026. Fan voting was scheduled to begin October 30, and the five finalists will be presented to the Hall of Fame's selection committees, which will choose the award winners.
Timeline
October 28, 2026: Hall of Fame announces the 20-player watch list.
October 30, 2026: Fan voting is scheduled to begin.
February 2027: The watch list narrows to 10 players.
March 2027: The list narrows to five finalists.
Season Trajectory
Inclusion on the Julius Erving watch list positions Tobiason among the early candidates for a small-forward honor in the 2026-27 season. The award process narrows the field through February and March before committee selection.
Fans tracking college basketball awards can follow the February and March cuts to see whether Tobiason remains among the finalists. Fan voting was scheduled to begin October 30, giving readers a direct way to weigh in.
The takeaway
Tobiason's jump from 4.8 to 15.3 points per game in two seasons is the kind of development that draws preseason attention. Readers following the Orange can track whether that production holds through the narrowing rounds.
What happens next
The watch list will be narrowed to 10 players in February 2027 and to five finalists in March 2027, with committee selection to follow.
Further reading
For more on the program, see Syracuse Basketball coverage of the Orange's roster and season outlook.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Fingerlakes1.
