Fan Voting Presented by Dell Technologies Starts Friday, February 26
Springfield, Mass. — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today the five finalists for the 2021 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award. Named after Class of 1971 Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic and Holy Cross point guard Bob Cousy, the annual honor now in its 18th year recognizes the top point guards in Division I men’s college basketball.
The five finalists for the 2021 Bob Cousy Award are Jared Butler (Baylor), Jalen Suggs (Gonzaga), Ayo Dosunmu (Illinois), Cade Cunningham (Oklahoma State) and Collin Gillespie (Villanova).
“The five point guards considered as finalists for this esteemed award have led their teams in a variety of ways through what has been an unusual season of college basketball to say the least,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “They continually demonstrate the playmaking and leadership skills that Bob Cousy displayed, which will serve them well as they play out the remainder of the season and ultimately compete for a championship.”
A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 student-athletes in November, which was narrowed to 10 candidates in January and now just five finalists. This month, the finalists will be presented to Mr. Cousy and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2021 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award will be determined by a combination of fan votes and input from the Basketball Hall of Fame’s selection committee. Naismith Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live Friday, February 26 on hoophallawards.com.
“It has brought me great joy to watch many young men develop from collegiate athletes to professionals, with some of the very best having received an award that humbly bears my name,” said Bob Cousy, Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 1971. “There is certainly a unique brotherhood between recipients and it’s always a privilege to work with the committee to determine our annual winner.”
The winner of the 2021 Bob Cousy Award will be presented on ESPN, along with the other four members of the Men’s Naismith Starting Five. Additional awards being presented 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. Additional information about the award presentation, including date and time, will be released in the coming weeks.
Previous winners of the Bob Cousy Award include Payton Pritchard, Oregon (2020), 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), KendallMarshall, 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 2021 Bob Cousy Award, log onto www.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #CousyAward on Twitter and Instagram.
About Bob Cousy
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 and in 1971 he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
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.