Colben Landrew has yet to play a minute of college basketball in a game that counts in the standings, but the UConn Huskies forward already is considered among the best.

Landrew got the nod on Wednesday as one of 20 players named to the watchlist for the 2027 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award, presented by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

He put up solid numbers in three preseason games against Syracuse, Michigan State and Purdue, averaging 12.0 points per game. He shot 51.9% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point territory.

The 247Sports composite ranked Landrew as a five-star recruit, the No. 9 small forward in the nation in the Class of 2026. Playing as a senior at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Ga., Landrew was named the 2025-26 Gatorade Georgia Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

He led Wheeler to a 27-6 record and the Class AAAAAA state title in his final high school season. He averaged 23.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game,

The 6-foot-6 Landrew also won Mr. Georgia Basketball and Naismith High School All-America honors. Earlier this month, he was named Big East preseason freshman of the year.

This is the week that the Hall of Fame is issuing its preseason Naismith positional player of the year lists. He joins Silas Demary (Bob Cousy Award, point guards) and Braylon Mullins (Jerry West Award, shooting guards) as UConn players already named to the preseason lists.

UConn's all-time Naismith winners are Kemba Walker (2011), Shabazz Napier (2014) and Tristen Newton (2024), all of whom took home a Cousy Award.

The season opener is set for Monday at 9 p.m. when Gardner-Webb visits the Huskies at PeopleBank Arena in Hartford, Conn.

Based on what we saw in the three preseason games, it appears head coach Dan Hurley has set his starting five: guards Silas Demary Jr. and Braylon Mullins; forwards Nik Khamenia and Jayden Ross; and Na’jai Hines at center. Oskar Giltay has pushed Hines in the preseason.

UConn fans undoubtedly are happy for Ross, who joined the team as a freshman in 2023-24 and has waited for his chance on the main stage. His value as a reserve has grown through the years, especially on defense, and it appears he will have the opportunity to start and display his range of skills.

In August, Hurley told reporters that Ross had made a great impression.

“He has had maybe the best summer out of anybody,” Hurley said. “He just has the confidence that he developed last year from what he was able to do throughout the year in some of the high-impact games, some of those NCAA tournament games where he was making 3s or impacting with his defense.”

With the Huskies, Ross has appeared in 94 games, starting once in his sophomore season. As a junior, he played in 38 games, averaging 4.6 points and 2.5 rebounds over 17.5 minutes per game.

He shot a career-high 39.1% from 3-point range in 2025-26.