SALEM, Va. (Mar. 14, 2025) – Senior guard
Aamari Smith (Decatur, Ga. / Roosevelt / San Bernardino Valley College) of the Whittier College men's basketball team earned another impressive accolade for his historic 2024-25 season on Friday morning when he was announced as one of 10 finalists for the 2025 Jostens Trophy, as announced by the Rotary Club of Salem, Va.
The Jostens Trophy honors - one for men's basketball and one for women's basketball - are national awards created by the Rotary Club of Salem and sponsored by Jostens, Inc., to recognize the most outstanding men's and women's Division III basketball players of the year. The awards focus on three major criteria: basketball ability, academic prowess, and service to one's surrounding communities.
Smith proved himself to be one of the nation's prolific offensive players at the small college level. He averaged 28.1 points per game, averaging nearly two points per game more than the next-highest per-game scorer. While Smith was not selected SCIAC Offensive Athlete of the Year by the SCIAC coaches for men's basketball, he was a First Team All-SCIAC selection and a current finalist for the Bevo Francis Small College Player of the Year. He is Whittier's first-ever Jostens Trophy finalist. No SCIAC player, male or female, has ever won the Jostens Trophy.
Smith and the other nine finalists will now be reviewed by the Jostens Trophy National Selection Committee. The committee is composed of men and women from across the country. The committee features current and former athletic administrators and head coaches, past Jostens Trophy recipients, and select members of the Division III media. The committee will spend the next week-plus reviewing the nominees with the aim of announcing the two winners the week following both national championship events.
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