The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Monday the 20 watch list 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 of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates for the Cousy Award, highlighted by Fighting Illini sophomore Ayo Dosunmu. This is the latest preseason accolade for the Chicago native, which includes third-team All-America by Athlon Sports and Dick Vitale, fourth-team All-America by Blue Ribbon Year Book, first-team All-Big Ten by Blue Ribbon and Athlon, and All-Big Ten by the conference's media panel.
AYO DOSUNMU | 2018-19 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
- Big Ten All-Freshman Team & honorable mention All-Big Ten (coaches & media)
- First true freshman in school history to lead the Illini in scoring for the season (13.8 ppg)
- Recorded the fourth-best scoring average by a freshman in Illini history
- Two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week (Feb. 11 & Feb. 18)
- 23 games scoring in double figures with seven performances of 20 or more points
- Led Illini in assists (3.3 apg), second on team in steals (1.3 spg) and third on team in rebounding (4.0 rpg)
Former Illini all-time great Dee Brown was the third winner of the Cousy Award, earning the honor during his senior year in 2006.
2020 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award Candidates*
Remy Martin Jr., Arizona State
McKinley Wright IV, Colorado
Tre Jones, Duke
Andrew Nembhard, Florida
Trent Forrest, Florida State
Bryce Aiken, Harvard
Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois
Devon Dotson, Kansas
Ashton Hagans, Kentucky
Markus Howard, Marquette
Anthony Cowan, Maryland
Zavier Simpson, Michigan
Cassius Winston, Michigan State
Cole Anthony, North Carolina
Payton Pritchard, Oregon
Jordan Ford, Saint Mary's
Lamonte' Turner, Tennessee
Davide Moretti, Texas Tech
Marcus Evans, VCU
Kihei Clark, Virginia
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2019-20 season*
"Since 2004, the Hall of Fame has had the honor of bestowing the Bob Cousy Award on the best point guards in the collegiate game, forming an amazing list of award winners who have gone on to have tremendous success at the professional level," said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. "This year, we are excited to announce Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies, which will allow fans to voice their opinions and support their favorite players in each of the three rounds. We greatly appreciate the support of Dell Technologies, the fans, our selection committee and the namesake of the award, Mr. Bob Cousy."
New to the award this season is Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. By mid-February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2020 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award will be narrowed to just 10. In March, five finalists will be presented to Mr. Cousy and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. The winner of the 2020 Bob Cousy Award will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy's in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 10, 2020, along with the other four members of the Men's Starting Five.
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.
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).
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.
For more information on the 2020 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award and the latest updates, log onto hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall on Twitter and Instagram. Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on Friday, October 18.
