Kansas Junior Russell Robinson Named One of 17 Finalists for Bob Cousy Award
Feb. 1, 2007
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in conjunction with The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: HIG) are pleased to announce this years Finalists for the Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford, an honor presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate point guard. Included in the 17 finalists is Kansas junior Russell Robinson.
The tightest Finalist voting in Cousy Award history yielded an unprecedented seventeen Finalists, who were chosen from a pool of over fifty top candidates from NCAA Division I, II and III institutions across the country. A tie in the voting of eligible candidates created a total of 17 Finalists, one more than the expected list of 16. The 2007 Finalists were selected by screening committees comprised of members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) representing all three divisions of collegiate basketball.
Beginning today, college basketball fans nationwide will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite candidate online at www.cousyaward.com and also enter a drawing to receive two tickets to a 2007 Men’s NCAA First, Second or Regional Round game. The top vote-getter from the on-line poll will receive the “Fan Vote”, representing one vote to be cast by the Blue Ribbon committee selecting the Award winner. The committee is comprised of Hall of Famers including Bob Cousy, Lute Olson and Jim Calhoun, college coaches from Divisions I, II and III, members of the media and additional college basketball experts and celebrities. The 2007 Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford winner will be announced at the NCAA Men’s Final Four in Atlanta, Georgia on Monday April 2.
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.
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FINALISTS
DIVISION I
Bobby Brown – CalStateFullerton
Darren Collison – UCLA
Levance Fields – Pittsburgh
Taurean Green – Florida
Dominic James – Marquette
Jared Jordan – Marist
Acie Law – Texas A&M
Ty Lawson – North Carolina
Russell Robinson – KANSAS
Ramon Sessions – Nevada
Sean Singletary – Virginia
Mustafa Shakur – Arizona
Ronald Steele – Alabama
