The following is a press release courtesy of Iowa State athletics.
AMES, Iowa – Iowa State sophomore Monté Morris has been named one of 17 finalists for the 2015 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award presented by College of the Holy Cross. The annual honor is now in its 12th year recognizing the top point guard in men’s college basketball.
The original list had 35 candidates before being trimmed down to 17 by a national committee. Morris is one of only six freshmen or sophomores on the list.
Morris, coming off a freshman season in which he set the NCAA record with a 4.79 assist-to-turnover ratio, is leading the nation again with a 4.69 ratio. His 5.4 assists lead the Big 12. The Flint, Michigan, native has increased his scoring from 6.8 points as a freshman to 11 points as a sophomore. Morris has 44 steals this season, including at least one swipe in 21 consecutive games. No player in the Big 12 has more steals than Morris (90).
The current list of 17 finalists will be narrowed to five players by early March. The final five players in contention for the award will then be presented to the Hall of Fame’s selection committee comprised of top college basketball personnel. The winner of the 2015 Bob Cousy Award will be presented at ESPN’s new College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy’s from Club Nokia in Los Angeles, California, on Friday, April 10. The show will be televised live on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. (CST).
2015 Bob Cousy Award Candidates
T.J. McConnell, Arizona
Tyrone Wallace, California
Ryan Boatright, UCONN
Kevin Pangos, Gonzaga
Keifer Sykes, Wisconsin-Green Bay
Yogi Ferrell, Indiana
Monté Morris, Iowa State
Terry Rozier, Louisville
Melo Trimble, Maryland
Marcus Paige, North Carolina
Kris Dunn, Providence
Delon Wright, Utah
Nigel Williams-Goss, Washington
Juwan Staten, West Virginia
Fred VanVleet, Wichita State
Tyus Jones, Duke
Kyle Collinsworth, BYU