Top Ten Collegiate Point Guards Named as Candidates for the “Naismith Starting Five”
Springfield, Mass. — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today the 10 candidates for the 2020 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award. Named after Class of 1971 Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic and Holy Cross guard Bob Cousy, the annual honor now in its seventeenth year recognizes the top point guards in Division I men’s college basketball. A national committee comprising top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates in October, which has now been narrowed to just 10.
“Since 2004, the Cousy Award has recognized the top collegiate point guard annually, forming a fellowship of recipients who have gone on to have wonderful success in the game,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “The ten players on this list exhibit many of the characteristics that made Bob Cousy a world-class point guard and they should be proud to be recognized for their efforts at this juncture in the season.”
Bob Cousy played for Holy Cross from 1946-1950 winning an NCAA Championship in 1947. He was named a Consensus First-Team All-American in 1950. His success continued at the professional level as a six-time NBA Champion (1957, 1959-1963), NBA Most Valuable Player (1957) and 13-time NBA All-Star (1951-63). In 1996, he was named a member of the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.
Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live Friday, February 7 via www.hoophallawards.com. In March, five finalists will be presented to Mr. Cousy and the Hall of Fame’s selection committeeThe winner of the 2020 Bob Cousy Award will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy’s in Los Angeles on Friday, April 10, 2020, along with the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five.
Additional awards being presented and receiving support from Eaton Ephesus Lighting include the Jerry West Shooting Guard Award, the Julius Erving Small Forward Award, the Karl Malone Power Forward Award and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center Award, in addition to the Women’s Starting Five. Broadcast information will be released by ESPN at a later date.
Previous winners of the Bob Cousy Award include Ja Morant, Murray State (2019), Jalen Brunson, Villanova (2018), Frank Mason III, Kansas (2017), Tyler Ulis, Kentucky (2016), Delon Wright, Utah (2015), Shabazz Napier, Connecticut (2014), Trey Burke, Michigan (2013), Kendall Marshall, North Carolina (2012), Kemba Walker, Connecticut (2011), Greivis Vasquez, Maryland (2010), Ty Lawson, North Carolina (2009), DJ Augustin, Texas (2008), Acie Law, Texas A & M (2007), Dee Brown, Illinois (2006), Raymond Felton, North Carolina (2005) and Jameer Nelson, St. Joseph’s (2004).
For more information and the latest updates on the 2020 Bob Cousy Award, log onto www.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #CousyAward on Twitter and Instagram.
2020 BobCousy Point Guard of the YearAwardCandidates *
|
Jared Butler |
Baylor |
|
McKinley Wright IV |
Colorado |
|
Tre Jones |
Duke |
|
Tyrese Haliburton |
Iowa State |
|
Devon Dotson |
Kansas |
|
Ashton Hagans |
Kentucky |
|
Markus Howard |
Marquette |
|
Cassius Winston |
Michigan State |
|
Payton Pritchard |
Oregon |
|
Malachi Flynn |
San Diego St. |
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2019-20 season*
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit www.hoophall.com, follow @hoophall or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.