LSU Gold

Javonte Smart On Watch List For Cousy Award

by Kent Lowe | Sr. Assoc. Communications Director
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Javonte Smart On Watch List For Cousy Award

BATON ROUGE – LSU Basketball junior point guard, Javonte Smart, has been named Monday as one of 20 watch list candidates by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for the 2021 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 eighteenth 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.

In two seasons, Smart has started 48-of-65 career games including 30-of-31 a year ago. He averaged 12.5 points per game during the 2019-20 season as the Tigers won 21 games and over two years is averaging 11.7 points a contest. He has already surpassed 200 assists in two years with a 129-to-70 assist to turnover ratio that was a league best 65-to-31 ratio over two a game in conference play. 

The Baton Rouge native has made 87 three-point field goals in two seasons and in his college career has made 82.8 percent of his free throws, while averaging 3.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists over his first two seasons.

LSU’s Tremont Waters was a finalist for the award after LSU’s Sweet Sixteen season in 2019,

“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,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “The list is comprised of many outstanding student-athletes and we know the fans are very excited to see them take the floor. Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will allow fans to support their favorite players throughout the season and eventually play a part in helping us to select our winner. We greatly appreciate the support of Dell Technologies, the fans, our selection committee and the namesake of the award, Mr. Bob Cousy.”

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. 

LSU fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2021 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award will be narrowed to just 10. 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. 

Previous winners of the Bob Cousy Award include Payton Pritchard, Oregon (2020), 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). 

For more information on the 2021 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award and the latest updates, log onto www.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall and #CousyAward on Twitter and Instagram. Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on Friday, November 6.

2021 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award Candidates* 
Remy Martin/Arizona State
Jared Butler/Baylor
McKinley Wright IV/Colorado
Marcus Zegarowski/Creighton
Jalen Crutcher/Dayton
Scottie Barnes/Florida State
Jalen Suggs/Gonzaga
Ayo Dosunmu/Illinois
Marcus Garrett/Kansas
Javonte Smart/LSU
Cade Cunningham/Oklahoma State
Colbey Ross/Pepperdine
Fatts Russell/Rhode Island
Jacob Gilyard/Richmond
Geo Baker/Rutgers
Bryce Aiken/Seton Hall
Matt Coleman III/Texas
Collin Gillespie/Villanova
Kihei Clark/Virginia
D’Mitrik Trice/Wisconsin

*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2020-21 season*

About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame 
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo “Court of Dreams.” Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit www.hoophall.com, follow @hoophall or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.