"This is an honor," said Bey. "To see the past players who have won this award and to know it's named after one of the all-time greats, Julius Erving, is humbling. Without my teammates and coaches, something like this would not have been possible.”

Article by Dave Nguyen, AKSM Sports

VILLANOVA, PA - For the third time in school history, a Villanova Wildcat was named the best small forward in the country. Yesterday, Villanova sophomore forward Saddiq Bey was awarded the 2020 Julius Erving Award.

The previous two Wildcats to receive this award were Josh Hart in 2017 and Mikal Bridges in 2018.

"To come into an established program and find your place as an underclassmen is no easy task," said Julius Erving, the former Sixers NBA Champion and 1993 Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee. "It's clear that Saddiq earned the respect of his teammates and competition. I'm proud to honor Saddiq with the 2020 Julius Erving Award."

The 6'8 sophomore forward was well deserved of this honor as he averaged 16.1 points per game, earning an All Big East First Team Selection. He was the fourth best three point shooter in the country, converting 45.1% behind the arc. Bey had 23 double digit scoring games, including 11 of them scoring 20 or more points and a career high 33 points against Georgetown on January 11th of this year.

Bey's ability to make clutch buckets down the stretch of the season along with his versatility to score from almost anywhere on the floor helped him not only achieve this award, but help the Wildcats earn its sixth Big East Regular Season Title in seven years. Along with with his offense, he was one of the best defenders in the conference, going to battle against players like Marcus Howard and Big East Player of the Year, Miles Powell.

"This is an honor," said Bey. "To see the past players who have won this award and to know it's named after one of the all-time greats, Julius Erving, is humbling. Without my teammates and coaches, something like this would not have been possible."

Bey is going to have a tough decision to make in the next few months. Will he enter the 2020 NBA Draft, where some experts have him as an underrated prospect and could be selected near the bottom of the first round, or will he return to Nova Nation where many national outlets have the Wildcats as their preseason No.1 team in the country and a favorite to cut down the nets in Indianapolis in 2021?

For now, Bey will enjoy this moment with his family, teammates, and the rest of his Villanova Basketball family.