Dec. 20, 2012

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina senior guard LaShay Page and junior guard Bruce Ellington have been named candidates for the 2013 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame released on Thursday. The duo joins a list of over 80 candidates from around the country for the prestigious award.

Page, a fifth-year senior from Dillon, S.C., has played solid through the first 10 games of the season for Carolina. He is second on the team with 11.7 points per game, while his 3.3 rebounds per contest are tops among the Carolina guards. He has two 20-point games this season and has led the team in scoring three times. He most recently posted seven points versus Appalachian State on Wednesday, including a perfect 5-of-5 effort from the free throw line in the final five minutes of the game, helping to secure the Gamecock victory.

Ellington has played just four games thus far in 2012 due to competition and practice with the 10th-ranked Gamecock football team. On the court, Ellington averages 9.8 points and 3.0 rebounds per game in 27.0 minutes. He most recently dished an assist and scored eight points off the bench versus Appalachian State on Wednesday.

The watch list of candidates will be narrowed down to a final 20 around January 1st, final 10 near February 1st, and final five by approximately March 1st. A premier Selection Committee has been appointed by the Hall of Fame to review the final five candidates in contention for the nation’s top collegiate point guard award. These Hall of Fame committees are made up of top college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers.

The winner of the 2013 Bob Cousy Award will be presented at the Hall of Fame’s Class Announcement on Championship Monday in Atlanta as part of NCAA Final Four weekend.

Previous winners of the Bob Cousy Award have included Jameer Nelson (St. Joseph’s), Raymond Felton (North Carolina), Dee Brown (Illinois), Acie Law (Texas A & M), DJ Augustin (Texas), Ty Lawson (North Carolina), Greivis Vasquez (Maryland), Kemba Walker (Connecticut) and last year’s recipient Kendall Marshall (North Carolina). For more information on the 2013 Bob Cousy, log onto www.CousyAward.com.