For the second straight season, Long Beach State's Casper Ware was named one of 20 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, which recognizes the nation's top point guard. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. made the announcement today.
Ware, a 5-9 senior from Cerritos, Calif., ranks among the Big West top 10 in numerous statistical categories. He is second in scoring (16.9 ppg), free throw percentage (.824) and steals (1.6 spg), fifth in assists (3.4 apg), and sixth in three-point field goals made per game (2.1) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2).
After a 2010-11 campaign in which he became the first in league history to capture both Big West Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season, Ware is building upon those accolades in his final collegiate season. He scored a career-high 28 points to lead the 49ers to an 86-76 win at then-No. 9 Pittsburgh on Nov. 16. He established another career-best on Dec. 10 with 29 points against then-No. 4 North Carolina.
A two-time Big West Player of the Week selection this season, Ware leads all active Big West players with career totals of 1,486 points and 478 assists. He is 12th all-time in the conference record book for assists, and needs 30 more to surpass former 49er Billy Walker (1985-88) for the school record and 10th place in Big West history.
The current listing of 20 finalists for the 2012 Bob Cousy Award will be narrowed down to 10 players in early February and then down to five players in early March. The Hall of Fame committee, comprised of media members, head coaches, Sports Information Directors and Hall of Famers, will vote for the winner and the award will be announced on Monday, April 2 in New Orleans as part of NCAA Final Four weekend.
| 2012 BOB COUSY AWARD 20 FINALISTS |
| Name |
School |
| Pierre Jackson |
Baylor |
| Shabazz Napier |
Connecticut |
| Ray McCallum |
Detroit |
| Seth Curry |
Duke |
| Erving Walker |
Florida |
| Scott Machado |
Iona |
| Casper Ware |
Long Beach State |
| Peyton Siva |
Louisville |
| Trey Burke |
Michigan |
| Dee Bost |
Mississippi State |
| Phil Pressey |
Missouri |
| Kendall Marshall |
North Carolina |
| Aaron Craft |
Ohio State |
| D.J. Cooper |
Ohio |
| Zack Rosen |
Pennsylvania |
| Ashton Gibbs |
Pittsburgh |
| Scoop Jardine |
Syracuse |
| Damian Lillard |
Weber State |
| Jordan Taylor |
Wisconsin |
| Tu Holloway |
Xavier |