The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Monday the Top 10 candidates for the 2021 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award. A national committee of college basketball personnel has narrowed the watch list of candidates to 10, highlighted by Fighting Illini junior Ayo Dosunmu.
Ayo Dosunmu 2020-21 Highlights
• One of only two players in the nation averaging at least 20 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists
• Eighth in NCAA in scoring at 21.7 ppg
• Second in NCAA with nine games of 22+ points
• Third in NCAA in with 120 made field goals
• No. 5 in KenPom National Player of the Year rankings
• One of only nine players in the nation with at least three games of 30+ points
• Fourth in Big Ten in assists (4.9 apg) and 19th in B1G in rebounding (6.3 rpg)
• Shooting 49% overall, 38.5% on threes, and 81.5% on free throws
• Wooden Award Midseason Candidate
• Two-time Big Ten Co-Player of the Week (12/14 & 12/28)
Bob Cousy Award Top 10 Candidates*
Scottie Barnes, Florida State
Jared Butler, Baylor
Marcus Carr, Minnesota
Cade Cunningham, Oklahoma State
Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois
Collin Gillespie, Villanova
Carlik Jones, Louisville
Jalen Suggs, Gonzaga
McKinley Wright IV, Colorado
Marcus Zegarowski, Creighton
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2020-21 season
Named after Class of 1971 Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic and Holy Cross guard Bob Cousy, the annual honor now in its 18th year recognizes the top point guards in Division I men's college basketball. Former Illini all-time great Dee Brown was the third winner of the Cousy Award, earning the honor during his senior year in 2006.
In late February, five finalists will be presented to Mr. Cousy and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. The winner of the 2021 Bob Cousy Award will be presented April 9, 2021, along with the other four members of the Men's 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. College basketball fans can support their favorite players by participating in Fan Voting presented by Dell.
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.
For more information on the 2021 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award and the latest updates, log onto hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #CousyAward on Twitter and Instagram. Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on Friday, January 29 at hoophallawards.com.
