Louisville basketball: The biggest threats to Jordan Nwora for ACC POY
By Jacob Lane
Louisville basketball star forward Jordan Nwora is back for his junior season and could currently be counted as the favorite for the ACC Player of the Year Award. Who will be his main competition?
Louisville basketball was arguably the biggest winner this offseason when it came to players entering the 2019 NBA Draft or returning back to school for their next year of eligibility.
After a breakout season in which he won the ACC’s Most Improved Player of the Year and was named 3rd Team All-ACC, Jordan Nwora capitalized on his soaring stock, declaring for the 2019 NBA Draft looking to earn a promise from a team picking in the first round or early second.
It looked to everyone around the program that it was just a matter of time before Nwora become the next two-and-through player at Louisville, following in the steps of Terry Rozier and Donovan Mitchell – especially after he earned the coveted invite to the NBA Combine.
But an untimely calf injury and inability to work out for teams until late in the process forced Jordan Nwora into a tough decision. Stay in the 2019 NBA Draft and risk being picked late in the second round and signing an unguaranteed contract or two-way deal, or return back to Louisville for one more year, develop into a more all-around player and potentially win a few major accolades and take the Cards to their first Final Four since 2013.
Thankfully for Cards fans, Nwora chose the latter and his return puts Louisville in the top 10 of nearly every way-too-early top 25 rankings and has the junior wing to be one of, if not the, favorite for ACC Player of the Year as well as a virtual lock for All-ACC first team.
In previewing the ACC for the 2019-2020 season, NBC Sports College Basketball writer Rob Dauster made a few predictions as to who would finish where in terms of standings and what players could be given awards.
When listing out his Way-Too-Early All-ACC team, he not only included Jordan Nwora would be included, but also picked him as his ACC Player of the Year. That’s a big prediction considering the other talent that is in the ACC, but when you look at it – it makes sense.
A ton of big names have left their respective schools for the NBA including 2019 ACC POY Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, Kyle Guy, Ty Jerome, DeAndre Hunter, Cameron Johnson, and Luke Maye, leaving the race wide open for Jordan Nwora. Nwora is one of just two players returning in 2019-2020 who finished the season in the top 10 in scoring in the ACC and will be returning to a team expected to be a National Championship contender.
Nwora was the ACC’s MIP in 2019 as well, after making a huge jump from his freshman to sophomore year, indicating that another leap in all-around performance could be on the horizon.
However, there will be plenty of newcomers and some returning stars who could be in the mix come seasons end. With that being said, we put together a list of the biggest competitors for Jordan Nwora in the race for the 2020 ACC Player of the Year award.
Let’s begin