BATON ROUGE – LSU guard Donovan Dent has been named to the watch list for the 2027 Bob Cousy Award as announced on Monday by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
The annual Bob Cousy Award, named after the Class of 1971 Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic and Holy Cross guard, celebrates its 24th year by highlighting the top point guard in NCAA Division I men’s college basketball.
Dent is one of 20 preseason candidates on the watch list, which will be updated during the course of the season.
Dent, who came to LSU from UCLA, has shown his scoring and passing abilities in LSU’s three exhibition games with 11 assists against UCF and nine this past Saturday at Florida State. Through three exhibition games, he is averaging 19 points and 7 assists a contest.
Last year at UCLA, he averaged 13.3 points and led the Bruins in assists with 265, a 7.6 assists per game average.
Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting in each of the three rounds starting on Friday, October 30. In February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2027 Bob Cousy Award will be narrowed to 10, then to five in March. In late March, the five finalists will be presented to Cousy and the Hall of Fame’s selection committees, where winners will be selected. The selection committees for the Bob Cousy Award are composed of top men’s and women’s college basketball personnel, including media members, head coaches, sports information directors, and Hall of Famers.
The winners of the 2027 Cousy Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the four other members of the Men’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Jerry West Award (Shooting Guard), Julius Erving (Small Forward), Karl Malone (Power Forward), and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Awards (Center).
Previous winners of the Bob Cousy Award include Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas (2026), Braden Smith, Purdue (2025), Tristen Newton, Connecticut (2024), Markquis Nowell, Kansas State (2023), Ja Morant, Murray State (2019), Jalen Brunson, Villanova (2018), Trey Burke, Michigan (2013), Kendall Marshall, North Carolina (2012), Kemba Walker, Connecticut (2011), and Jameer Nelson, Saint Joseph’s (2004).
For more information on the 2027 Bob Cousy Award and the latest updates, visit hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophallu, #CousyAward on X and Instagram.
2027 Bob Cousy Award Candidates*
Markus Burton/Indiana
Elliot Cadeau/Michigan
Jason Crowe Jr./Missouri
Silas Demary Jr./UConn
Donovan Dent/LSU
Quinn Ellis/St. John’s
Jeremy Fears Jr./Michigan State
Boogie Fland/Florida
Aden Holloway/Alabama
Josh Hubbard/Mississippi State
Nigel James Jr./Marquette
Acaden Lewis/Miami
Chance Mallory/Virginia
Tahaad Pettiford/Auburn
Miles Sadler/West Virginia
Jackson Shelstad/Louisville
Jordan Smith Jr./Arkansas
Tyler Tanner/Vanderbilt
Dedan Thomas Jr./Houston
Robert Wright III/BYU
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2026-27 season.
About the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent nonprofit 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 worldwide. The Hall of Fame Museum is home to nearly 500 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Welcoming close to 200,000 visitors each year, the museum invites fans to learn about the game, experience 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 more than 100 high school and collegiate games annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum, and events, visit hoophall.com or follow @hoophallu.