Dosunmu for Player of the Year
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Monday the five finalists for the 2021 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award, highlighted by Fighting Illini star and National Player of the Year candidate Ayo Dosunmu.
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.
Joining Dosunmu on the list of finalists for the 2021 Bob Cousy Award are Jared Butler (Baylor), Jalen Suggs (Gonzaga), Cade Cunningham (Oklahoma State) and Collin Gillespie (Villanova).
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, Feb. 26 on hoophallawards.com.
Ayo Dosunmu 2020-21 Highlights
- Only NCAA player over the last 11 seasons to average at least 20 points, six rebounds and five assists
- Two triple-doubles in last four games, joining Michigan State's Magic Johnson as the only two players with multiple triple-doubles in Big Ten play
- Naismith Trophy Midseason Team
- Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 Watch List
- Naismith Trophy Player of the Week (2/8)
- Leads Big Ten with four Conference Player of the Week selections (12/14, 12/28, 2/1, 2/8)
- Has led Illinois to its highest national ranking since the 2004-05 NCAA Runner-up squad
- Has scored in double figures in 36Â straight games, the longest active streak by a high-major conference player
- 10th in the NCAA in scoring (21.2 ppg) and sixth in made field goals (165)
- No. 3 in KenPom.com Player of the Year rankings
- Ninth nationally in offensive rating (114.2)
- Fifth in NCAA with 11 games of 22+ points, and also fifth nationally with four 30-plus point performances
- Owns the highest scoring average by an Illini in the last 30 years
- Second in Big Ten in assists (5.3 apg) and 17th in B1G in rebounding (6.2Â rpg)
- Shooting nearly 50%Â from the field (.494), better than 42%Â from 3-point range (.422) and 80% from the foul line
- Fourth triple double in school history, and second in four games, with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in win at Minnesota (2/20)
- Set career scoring high in Big Ten play with 31 points in win at Nebraska (2/12)
- Third triple-double in school history with 21 points, career-high 12 rebounds, and career-high 12 assists in win over No. 19 Wisconsin (2/6)
- 25 points on 11-18 FG and 3-3 from 3-point range in win over No. 7 Iowa (1/29)
- 30 points on 11-17 shooting, 4-5 from three, and 5 assists in win over Indiana (12/26)
- 30 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals in win at Penn State (12/23)
- Career-high 36 points at Missouri (12/12)
"The five point guards considered as finalists for this esteemed award have lead 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."
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.
"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.
Former Illini All-American Dee Brown won the Cousy Award as a senior in 2006.Â
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.
