URI’s Fatts Russell Named To Bob Cousy Award Watch List
Springfield, Mass. — Rhode Island senior Fatts Russell has been named to the 2021 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award watch list, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Monday. Russell is one of 20 candidates to open the season on the watch list.
Named after Class of 1971 Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic and Holy Cross guard Bob Cousy, the annual honor now in its 18th 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.
“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.”
Russell is one of three players from the Atlantic 10 on the list, along with Dayton’s Jalen Crutcher and Richmond’s Jacob Gilyard. An All-America candidate heading into 2020-21, Russell has 1,255 career points, leaving him with 745 to become the second player in program history to reach 2,000. Carlton “Silk” Owens – who scored 2,114 points from 1984-88 – is the only current member of the 2,000-point club for Rhode Island.
Russell emerged as one of the nation’s best players last season, leading the Rams and finishing third in the Atlantic 10 with 18.8 points per game. He also was second in the country with 2.87 steals per game, and his 86 steals were the second most in a single-season in program history. With 169 career steals entering 2020-21, Russell needs just 38 to tie Keith Cothran’s program record of 207, set from 2006-10.
A First Team All-Atlantic 10 selection and a member of the league’s All-Defensive Team as a junior, Russell was one of 30 players nationally named to the Citizen Naismith Trophy 2020 Midseason Team. He was one of just 15 players nationally named to the Naismith Trophy Midseason Defensive Player of the Year Team. Russell was the U.S. Basketball Writer’s Association District I Player of the Year, as well as a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches 2019-20 Division I All-District 4 First Team.
College basketball 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 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.
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.
