Andrew Harrison – photo by Walter Cornett | Wildcatworld.com
Freshman guard Andrew Harrison was one of 45 players to earn recognition as a member of the watch list of candidates for the 2014 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award in was announced Tuesday. The annual honor, named for Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic Bob Cousy, recognizes the top point guards in men’s college basketball. The list was created by a committee of well-respected media members and influential people within college basketball from around the country.
“The Bob Cousy Award promotes the values of leadership, determination, and teamwork, all skills needed not only on the hardwood but also in life,” said Ken Kaufman, Chair of the Bob Cousy Award and former president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). “Mr. Cousy exemplified all of these traits, and continues to be an inspiration to players on and off the court.”
Harrison is a 6-6 guard from Richmond, Texas. As a senior in high school he averaged 15.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game while directing Travis High to a state championship. He came to Kentucky rated as the top point guard in the country by all three major recruiting services and the third-best prospect in the country by ESPNU Recruiting. Scout and Rivals both ranked him as the fifth-best overall prospect.
The watch list of candidates will be narrowed down to a final 20 in early February, then final five by early March. A premier Selection Committee has been appointed by the Hall of Fame to review the candidates in contention for the nation’s top collegiate point guard award. This committee is made up of top college basketball personnel including members of the media, head coaches, media relations contacts and Hall of Famers. The Cousy Award winner will be presented the award on Championship Monday in Dallas at the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2014 Announcement and Press Conference.
Kentucky’s John Wall, Brandon Knight and Marquis Teague were all finalists for the award. 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), Kendall Marshall (North Carolina) and Trey Burke (Michigan).
Harrison and the Cats will next be in action on Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. ET as Rupp Arena plays host to the annual Blue-White Scrimmage. UK will then take on Transylvania in its first exhibition contest of the season at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 1.
