PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Ace Bailey is getting the national attention of one of the best players in the country.
 
After being named to the Naismith National Player of the Year Top 50 Watchlist, Bailey was named to the National Association of Basketball Coach's National Player of the Year Watch List as well as the Julius Erving Award Top 20 Watch List given to the best small forward in the country.
 
The 2025 NABC Division I Player of the Year - selected by a nationwide vote of Division I head coaches - will be announced the week of the 2025 Men's Final Four. Former Purdue standout Zach Edey won the award each of the last two seasons, becoming the first repeat winner since Duke's Jason Williams in 2001 and 2002.
 
Bailey was named on the preseason watch list which recognized the top 20 players in the country.
 
"He plays multiple positions, and he could play one through five," Rutgers men's basketball's head coach Steve Pikiell said at Big Ten Media Day. "He's a play-maker. He's brought tremendous energy to our program, but he's also brought a work ethic too. And I think our guys are having fun playing with him."
 
The annual Julius Erving Award celebrates the Class of 1993 Hall of Famer and 16-year professional basketball player. The award in its 11^th-year recognizes the top small forwards in Division I men's college basketball.
 
Airious "Ace" Bailey brings unmatched versatility and talent to the Scarlet Knights as the highest-ranked recruit in Rutgers basketball history. Bailey was named the Georgia Gatorade High School Player of the Year, a McDonald's All-American, and is ranked by many national recruiting websites as the top player in the incoming freshmen class.
 
2025 NABC Division I Player of the Year – Preseason Watch List
 
Ace Bailey, Rutgers
Oumar Ballo, Indiana
Johni Broome, Auburn
L.J. Cryer, Houston
Johnell Davis, Arkansas
RJ Davis, North Carolina
Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
Cooper Flagg, Duke
Graham Ike, Gonzaga
Kam Jones, Marquette
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
Alex Karaban, Connecticut
Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
Caleb Love, Arizona
Norchad Omier, Baylor
Kadary Richmond, St. John's
Hunter Sallis, Wake Forest
Mark Sears, Alabama
Braden Smith, Purdue
Wade Taylor IV, Texas A&M
 

Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award
NAME	SCHOOL
Trey Townsend	Arizona
BJ Freeman	Arizona State
Chad Baker-Mazara	Auburn
Tyson Degenhart	Boise State
Cooper Flagg	Duke
Michael Ajayi	Gonzaga
Mackenzie Mgbako	Indiana
Payton Sandfort	Iowa
Milan Momcilovic	Iowa State
A.J. Storr	Kansas
Jaxson Robinson	Kentucky
Matthew Cleveland	Miami
Frankie Fidler	Michigan State
Mark Mitchell	Missouri
Ian Jackson	North Carolina
Drake Powell	North Carolina
Ace Bailey	Rutgers
Arthur Kaluma	Texas
Liam McNeeley	UConn
Tucker DeVries	West Virginia