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<h1 align="right" style="text-align:right"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;text-decoration:none">BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – Jan. 30, 2024<o:p></o:p></span></b></h1>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<h2 align="left" style="text-align:left"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;font-style:normal">Baylor MBB’s Walter Named to Jerry West Award Top-10<o:p></o:p></span></b></h2>
<h2 align="left" style="text-align:left"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;font-style:normal">BU is one of two schools to be represented for a fourth-straight year</span></b><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;font-style:normal"><o:p></o:p></span></b></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;color:black">For more information contact:
</span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;color:black">Matt Roberts, 254-227-2280, </span>
<a href="mailto:WM_Roberts@Baylor.edu"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;color:black">WM_Roberts@Baylor.edu</span></a><u><span style="font-size:9.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">WACO, Texas – </span></strong>Baylor guard Ja’Kobe Walter was one of three Big 12 players named to the Jerry West Award Top-10 Tuesday, an award honoring the nation's best shooting
guard.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Walter is the only freshman on the list, the latest in a long line of Bears who have appeared on the Jerry West Award Top-10. Baylor's five players on the top-10 list in the last four years are the most in the country. Last season, Adam
Flagler and Keyonte George made Baylor the only team in the country with multiple representatives. Prior to that, Flagler was named to the list in 2022, while Macio Teague was a top-10 candidate during Baylor’s title run in 2021.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Kansas’ Kevin McCullar and Houston's LJ Cryer join Walter on the midseason list from the Big 12 Conference. The list is rounded out with Creighton's Trey Alexander, Florida Atlantic's Johnell Davis, UNC’s RJ Davis, USC’s Boogie Ellis, Arizona’s
Caleb Love, Kentucky’s Antonio Reeves and Michigan State’s Tyson Walker. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Baylor's third-straight Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year, Walter has delivered this season, leading the Bears at 15.2 points per game, which also leads all Big 12 freshmen. He has also done some of his best work against Power-conference
competition, tallying 15.3 points per game in Baylor's 12 games against high-major foes. His 15.2 points per contest are on pace to rank him fourth among freshmen in program history.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Fans can support their favorite players in the remaining rounds by participating in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, starting Friday, February 2, on hoophallawards.com. The fan vote will count as one committee vote during the
finalist selection process. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Five finalists will be presented to West and the Hall of Fame's selection committee in late February. The Jerry West Award Selection Committee is composed of top men's college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches,
sports information directors and Hall of Famers. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The 2024 Jerry West Award winner will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Bob Cousy Award (Point Guard), Julius Erving Award
(Small Forward), Karl Malone Award (Power Forward) and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (Center), in addition to the Women’s Starting Five.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Previous winners of the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award are Marcus Sasser, Houston (2023), Johnny Davis, Wisconsin (2022), Chris Duarte, Oregon (2021), Myles Powell, Seton Hall (2020), RJ Barrett, Duke (2019), Carsen Edwards,
Purdue (2018), Malik Monk, Kentucky (2017), Buddy Hield, Oklahoma (2016) and D’Angelo Russell, Ohio State (2015).
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For more information on the 2024 Jerry West Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #WestAward on Twitter and Instagram.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="mso-margin-top-alt:15.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:15.0pt;margin-left:0in;text-align:center;vertical-align:baseline">
<i>—BaylorBears.com—<o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:15.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:15.0pt;margin-left:0in;vertical-align:baseline">
<b><span style="font-size:12.0pt">2023-24 Season Honors<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><b><u><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;text-transform:uppercase">Jalen bridges<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Preseason All-Big 12 (Honorable Mention)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Julius Erving Preseason Top-20<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">NIT Season Tip-Off All-Tournament Team<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><b><u><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">RAYJ DENNIS<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Preseason All-Big 12 (Honorable Mention)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">NIT Season Tip-Off Tournament MVP<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Big 12 co-Newcomer of the Week (11/27)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><b><u><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">JA’KOBE WALTER</span></u></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Jerry West Award Preseason Top-20<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Big 12 Player of the Week (11/13)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">NABC Player of the Week (11/14)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Wooden Award Preseason Top-50<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">NIT Season Tip-Off All-Tournament Team<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Wooden Award Midseason Top-25<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Jerry West Award Top-10<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Matt Roberts | Associate Director of Athletic Communications (MBB/MGOLF/ WGOLF) <br>
Department of Athletics | Baylor University<br>
C: 254-227-2280</span><span style="color:#212121;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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