Feb. 7, 2011
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - San Diego State men's basketball senior point guard D.J. Gay is one of 10 finalists for the 2011 Bob Cousy Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., announced this morning.
Gay currently ranks second on the team in scoring (11.9) and leads SDSU in assists (3.3) and minutes played (34.5). In Mountain West Conference action, Gay is averaging 11.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 37.2 minutes. He also ranks first in the MWC in assist-to-turnover ratio for all games (2.76) and league-only contests (4.86).
The annual award is given to college basketball's top point guard and is named after Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtics great Bob Cousy. An original list of 70-plus candidates made up of players from around the country was trimmed by a Hall of Fame-appointed, nationally based committee to 20 and has now narrowed that list to a final 10.
"This final list of 10 players represents the best of the best in college basketball at the point guard position," said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. "We look forward to recognizing the nation's top college basketball point guard and wish all the candidates best of luck."
"We have many excellent candidates for the 2011 award that share Mr. Cousy's vision of a point guard. We look forward to following each of these players as the season heads to the final weeks and recognize the top player in college basketball at the point guard position at the Final Four," said Ken Kaufman, Chair of the 2011 Bob Cousy Award.
Beginning Feb. 8, via the Bob Cousy Award's website - www.cousyaward.com - fans will be able to vote for the top point guard. The player that receives the most fan votes will receive one vote toward the final committee vote. Fan voting will run one month - beginning Feb. 8 and will conclude March 8.
The current listing of 10 finalists for the 2011 Bob Cousy Award will be narrowed down to five players by March 10. The final five players in contention for the award will be presented to Mr. Cousy and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. These Hall of Fame committees are made up of top college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers. The winner of the 2011 Bob Cousy Award will be awarded at the Hall of Fame's Class Announcement on Monday April 4 in Houston, Texas, as part of NCAA Final Four weekend.
2011 Bob Cousy Award Finalists: D.J. Gay (San Diego State), Norris Cole (Cleveland State), Corey Fisher (Villanova), Jimmer Fredette (Brigham Young), Brandon Knight (Kentucky), Demetri McCamey (Illinois), Mickey McConnell (Saint Mary's), Nolan Smith (Duke), Isaiah Thomas (Washington), Kemba Walker (Connnecticut).