KNOXVILLE -- Tennessee basketball player Trae Golden was named to the watch list for the 2013 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award, which was released Thursday by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The Cousy Award, named for basketball hall of famer and legendary former Boston Celtics star Bob Cousy, recognizes the top point guard in men’s college basketball annually.
A junior from Powder Springs, Ga., Golden is in his second season as Tennessee’s starter at point guard. Through UT’s first nine games, he leads the Vols in scoring (13.6 ppg), assists (5.0 apg, second in the SEC) and minutes played (30.6 mpg). His 2.81 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks fourth among SEC players, and he is averaging a career-best 3.7 rebounds per game.
Golden is the reigning SEC Player of the Week, and he was tabbed as a second-team preseason All-SEC selection by the league’s head coaches.
“The Bob Cousy Award promotes the values of leadership, determination and teamwork – all skills needed on the basketball court and in life,” said Ken Kaufman, Chair of the Bob Cousy Award and former president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). “Mr. Cousy exemplified all of these traits, and inspired so many people on and off the court. We hope that this coveted award continues to honor his legacy.”
More than 80 candidates were included on Thursday’s initial watch list, which will be narrowed down to 20 in January and then trimmed to 10 in February. In March, five finalists will be named, and a selection panel of collegiate basketball coaches, media members, sports information directors and hall of famers will name the winner.
For the most up-to-date information about the Tennessee basketball program, visit UTsports.com/basketball and follow @Vol_Hoops on Twitter.
(E-mail Stan Crawley at wscrawley@earthlink.net)