The five finalists for the NCAA Basketball Bob Cousy Award for Point Guard of the Year were announced on Monday. Who should take home the hardware this year?
On Monday the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the five finalists for the 2019 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award, named after six-time NBA champion and Hall-of-Fame point guard Bob Cousy. Started in 2004, the annual honor recognizes the top point guard in Division I men’s college basketball, with the winner determined by a combination of fan votes and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. This year’s winner will be presented the award at The College Basketball Awards in Los Angeles, Calif. on Friday, April 12.
The five finalists for the 2019 Cousy Award are Gonzaga’s Josh Perkins, LSU’s Tremont Waters, Marquette’s Markus Howard, Michigan State’s Cassius Winston and Murray State’s Ja Morant.
Each of the five finalists offer compelling arguments for winning the award, as they all feature impressive statistical seasons combined with varied levels of team success, traits that the previous 15 winners also shared.
The previous winners of the Cousy Award include: Jameer Nelson (2003-04), Raymond Felton (04-05), Dee Brown (05-06), Acie Law (06-07), DJ Augustin (07-08), Ty Lawson (08-09), Greivis Vasquez (09-10), Kemba Walker (10-11), Kendall Marshall (11-12), Trey Burke (12-13), Shabazz Napier (13-14), Delon Wright (14-15), Tyler Ulis (15-16), Frank Mason III (16-17) and Jalen Brunson (17-18).
As seen in the past winners and their respective resumés, there is a tradition and precedent in place where the winner is chosen based on an intersection of both individual and team success. Simply playing great at an individual level won’t win a guard the award, especially if the team around him isn’t successful; likewise, being the lead guard on a great team won’t win a player the award if his numbers are lackluster in comparison to his peers.
It takes a combination of both — noteworthy averages and postseason berths — in order for one player to really stand out from the pack. Other aspects are involved in the selection process — narratives, trends, etc. — but for the most part, individual and team success are the two most important things considered.
Unfortunately, all of these players are deserving of having their names honored, but only one can win. While we wish that all five players could receive recognition and honors from the Hoop Hall, only one will have their name etched into the Cousy Award in April.
With all that said, that leaves us with one question:
Who will it be?
(All stats and records are representative of games played through March 6.)