The Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford is given
to the top collegiate male basketball point guard annually
spanning across all divisions within the game by the Naismith
Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The selection criteria
emphasize leadership, team work, success, and fundamentals
as being critical parts for the game of basketball as a
point guard. Nominations are solicited from across
the country from head coaches and the winner is selected
by a Blue Ribbon Selection Committee made up of the biggest
names in college basketball. The 2008 Winner has
been announced and the fan voting section is now closed. Click
on Winners to learn about this years’ winner of
the Bob Cousy Award.. Also, visit our featured
players section to see video and stories on the best in
college basketball.
University of Texas Point
Guard D.J. Augustin Selected Winner of 2008 BOB
COUSY AWARD presented by THE HARTFORD
Nation’s Top Collegiate
Point Guard to
be Introduced at NCAA Men’s Final Four
SPRINGFIELD, MA – The Naismith
Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in
conjunction withThe Hartford
Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:
HIG) are pleased to announce this years winner
of the 2008 Bob Cousy Award
presented by The Hartford, an honor presented
annually to the nation’s top collegiate
point guard. D.J. Augustin of the
University of Texas was chosen from
a pool of over fifty top candidates and sixteen
finalists from NCAA Division I, II and III institutions
across the country. Augustin was selected
by a Blue Ribbon Selection Committee comprised
of 30 members made up of coaches, Hall of Famers,
Sports Information Directors and media from around
the country.
Augustin followed a stellar freshman year with another
tremendous season leading the Texas Longhorns to a 26-6
regular season record, the Big 12 Conference title and
a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. He led the
Big 12 in assists (5.8 apg) and ranked second in the
league in scoring (19.2 ppg). Augustin recorded better
than a 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio, averaged 1.2 steals
per game, played more than 37 minutes per contest and
shot 77.9% from the free throw line.
Augustin has been named First-Team All-America by The
Associated Press, USBWA, Sports Illustrated and The Sporting
News and is one of five finalists for the Oscar Robertson
Trophy.
Off the court, Augustin was named first-team Academic
All-America in 2008. To be nominated for Academic
All-America, a player must be a starter or an important
reserve and carry at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA on a
scale of 4.0. Augustin is an education major and
earned a perfect 4.0 GPA during the fall semester. He
currently holds a cumulative 3.64 GPA
“The Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford has
established itself as one of college basketball’s
premier awards” said John L. Doleva, Hall of Fame
President & CEO. “Mr. Cousy has set a
standard for the point guard position which is represented
with this award. Leadership, vision and integrity
are just a few of the traits that each of these finalists
has demonstrated both on and off the court.”
"Just like these players demonstrate on the basketball
court, The Hartford and its network of independent agents
represent leadership, vision, teamwork and integrity
in the insurance industry," said Dan Brown, Executive
Vice President of The Hartford's Sales and Distribution. "We're
honored to be part of a growing tradition that supports
these values, and we congratulate D.J. Augustin for his
tremendous accomplishments."
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.
"If basketball is an art form," noted
Cousy, "it primarily resides in the artistry,
creativity, imagination and development of the nuances
of the position by a genuine point guard such as
John Stockton or Jason Kidd." Cousy was enshrined
in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
in 1971.
About The Hartford:
The Hartford is one of the largest financial services
and insurance companies in the U.S., with worldwide revenues
of $25.9 billion in 2007. The company is a leading
provider of investment products, life insurance and group
benefits; automobile and homeowners products; and business
property-casualty insurance. International operations
are located in Japan, Brazil and the United Kingdom. The
Hartford's Internet address is www.thehartford.com.
About the Bob Cousy Award presented by
The Hartford:
Nominees for the Bob Cousy Award presented by
The Hartford were solicited through
the College Sports Information Directors of America
(COSIDA) and the National Association of Basketball
Coaches (NABC). A committee comprised of CoSIDA
members narrowed the field to 16 student athletes
from all three divisions of men’s NCAA college
basketball. The group of 16 will be reviewed and
a winner chosen by a Blue Ribbon selection committee
comprised of Hall of Famers, Mr. Cousy, college coaches,
media members, sports information directors.
BOB COUSY AWARD PRESENTED BY THE HARTFORD
PAST WINNERS
2004 - Jameer Nelson, St. Joseph’s
University
2005 - Raymond Felton, University of North Carolina
2006 - Dee
Brown, University of Illinois
2007 - Acie Law, Texas A&M
University
