February 01, 2007
Texas A&M senior Acie Law IV has been named a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford, an honor presented annually to the nation's top point guard. The 17 finalists were announced on Thursday by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in conjunction with The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.
Law is averaging a team-best 16.4 points and 5.0 assists per game. He has led A&M to an 18-3 start, the best in school history after 21 games. Law is making 51.0 percent from the field, 44.0 percent from three-point range and 76.8 percent from the free throw line.
The 2007 Finalists were selected by screening committees comprised of members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) representing all three divisions of collegiate basketball.
College basketball fans can vote for their favorite candidate online at www.cousyaward.com and can also enter a drawing to receive two tickets to a 2007 Men's NCAA First, Second or Regional Round game. The top vote-getter from the on-line poll will receive the "Fan Vote", representing one vote to be cast by the Blue Ribbon committee selecting the Award winner.
The committee is comprised of Hall of Famers including Bob Cousy, Lute Olson and Jim Calhoun, college coaches from Divisions I, II and III, members of the media and additional college basketball experts and celebrities. The 2007 Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford winner will be announced at the NCAA Men's Final Four in Atlanta, Georgia on Monday April 2.
Cousy, also known as "Mr. Basketball," is considered the prototype of point guards and was a freshman on the Holy Cross team that won the NCAA Championship in 1947. He was a pioneer in the NBA, famous for bringing a 'flashy' style of passing and showmanship to the game.
Named one of the Top 50 Players in NBA History, Cousy led the Boston Celtics to championships in 1957 and 1959 through 1963. Cousy led the NBA in assists for eight consecutive years (1953-1960) and played in 13 straight All-Star games. After his retirement from professional basketball he was a successful coach at Boston College from 1963 to 1969, with an overall record of 117 wins and 38 losses.
Previous winners of the award include Dee Brown of Illinois (2006), Raymond Felton from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (2005) and Jameer Nelson from St. Joseph's University (2004).
2007 BOB COUSY AWARD PRESENTED BY THE HARTFORD FINALISTS
DIVISION I Bobby Brown Cal State Fullerton Darren Collison UCLA Levance Fields Pittsburgh Taurean Green Florida Dominic James Marquette Jared Jordan Marist Acie Law Texas A&M Ty Lawson North Carolina Russell Robinson Kansas Ramon Sessions Nevada Sean Singletary Virginia Mustafa Shakur Arizona Ronald Steele Alabama DIVISION II Anthony Atkinson Barton College Zach Whiting Chaminade University DIVISION III Andrew Olson Amherst College David Arsenault Grinnell College