Josh Hart returns to reigning champion Villanova as one of the nation's top small forwards.

Part three of Hoophall Awards' five preseason positional watch lists was released Wednesday in the form of the Julius Erving Award, presented to the top small forward at the end of the season.

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Twenty of the most elite small forwards from some of the top teams cracked the list in hopes of claiming the third-ever edition of the award. Below are all the preseason candidates:

2017 Julius Erving Award Watch List: Evan Bradds Belmont Senior Kelan Martin Butler Junior Jaron Blossomgame Clemson RS Senior Terry Larrier Connecticut RS Sophomore Jayson Tatum Duke Freshman Dwayne Bacon Florida State Sophomore OG Anunoby Indiana Sophomore Deng Adel Louisville Sophomore Justin Jackson North Carolina Junior VJ Beachem Notre Dame Senior Jae'Sean Tate Ohio State Junior Dillon Brooks Oregon Junior Tres Tinkle Oregon State Sophomore Vince Edwards Purdue Junior Dikembe Dixson UIC Sophomore Kevin Hervey UT Arlington Junior Jalen Moore Utah State Senior Josh Hart Villanova Senior Markis McDuffie Wichita State Sophomore Trevon Bluiett Xavier Junior

Since the Julius Erving Award was first presented in 2015, Michigan State's Denzel Valentine (2016) and Arizona's Stanley Johnson (2015) have taken home the hardware.