Taylor announced as 2011 Bob Cousy Award candidate
December 20, 2010 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 20, 2010
MADISON, Wis. -- The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. announced today that Wisconsin junior Jordan Taylor is a candidate for the 2011 Bob Cousy Award.
The annual award, named for Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic Bob Cousy, recognizes college basketball’s top point guard. A total of 66 players have been nominated for the 2011 award. Nominations were solicited from all schools across the country.
“The Hall of Fame is proud to once again work with Mr. Cousy and to present one of college basketball’s most coveted awards,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “This list represents a wide range of college basketball’s top players and we look forward to honoring the legacy of Mr. Cousy with this year’s award winner.”
In his third season at Wisconsin, Taylor is posting the best numbers of his career, averaging 15.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. Taylor leads the Big Ten and ranks 10th in the nation with a 3.4 assist-to-turnover ratio. The Bloomington, Minn., native also ranks among the Big Ten’s best in several categories including 11th in scoring, fourth in assists and fourth in free throw percentage.
Taylor has posted four games with 20 points or more this season and scored in double figures in 10 of the first 11 games. His 20-point, 11-rebound and nine-assist performance against South Dakota on Dec. 4 came just one assist short of the first triple-double in school history.
Former Badger Devin Harris finished as the runner-up for the inaugural Cousy Award in 2004, while Trevon Hughes was one of 11 finalists for last season’s award.
This original list of candidates will be narrowed down to a final 20 by Jan. 3, a final 10 by Feb. 3, and final five by March 3. A Hall of Fame-appointed screening committee will narrow down the candidates prior to a Blue Ribbon Selection Committee evaluating the final five candidates and ultimately choosing the winner. Both of the 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 presented at the Hall of Fame’s Class Announcement on Monday, April 4, in Houston as part of NCAA Final Four weekend.
Previous winners of the Bob Cousy Award include: Jameer Nelson (St. Joseph’s), Raymond Felton (North Carolina), Dee Brown (Illinois), Acie Law (Texas A & M), DJ Augustin (Texas), Ty Lawson (North Carolina) and Greivis Vasquez (Maryland).
