Jan. 5, 2010

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – South Carolina senior point guard Devan Downey has been named one of 20 finalists for the 2010 Bob Cousy Award, presented annually to college basketball’s top point guard, as announced by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Tuesday. The award is named after Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic great Bob Cousy. Downey was also named a finalist for the honor during the 2007-08 season.

Downey’s 18.5 points per game lead the Gamecocks this season and currently rank second in the Southeastern Conference. Downey has registered 12 double-figure point games this season, while his 3.0 steals per game lead the conference and rank third in the nation. Downey needs just 154 points to reach the 2,000 point plateau for his career (including one-year total from Cincinnati).

An original list of 73 candidates made up of players from Division I, II and III schools was trimmed by a Hall of Fame appointed, nationally based committee to the below list of 20.

“This list makes up college basketball’s elite at the point guard position,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “These 20 players in contention for the award all have skills that Mr. Cousy would be proud of. The Hall of Fame looks forward to having these players compete for one of college basketball’s most prestigious awards.”

“We are so proud at The Hartford to play a part in this important program and offer congratulations to the 20 finalists,” said Kevin Connor, executive vice president and director of Hartford Life Distributors. “All 20 represent strong values of teamwork, skill and the relentless pursuit of excellence. These are all values we share at The Hartford.”

The current listing of 20 finalists for the 2010 Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford will be narrowed down to 10 players by February 1st and than further to five players by March 1st. The final five players in contention for the award will be presented to Mr. Cousy and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. 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 2010 Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford will be awarded at the Hall of Fame’s Class Announcement on Monday April 5th in Indianapolis as part of NCAA Final Four weekend.

The complete list of 20 finalists is below:

Chris Warren, Ole Miss
Denis Clemente, Kansas State
Deonta Vaughn, Cincinnati
Devan Downey, South Carolina
Greivis Vasquez, Maryland
Jeremy Lin, Harvard
Jerome Randle, Cal
John Wall, Kentucky
Jon Scheyer, Duke
Kalin Lucas, Michigan State
Kemba Walker, Connecticut
Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech
Manny Harris, Michigan
Matt Bouldin, Gonzaga
Nic Wise, Arizona
Ronald Moore, Siena
Scottie Reynolds, Villanova
Sherron Collins, Kansas
Talor Battle, Penn State
Trevon Hughes, Wisconsin