Tennessee senior Lamonte Turner is one of 20 players on the 2020 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award watch list, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Monday.
Last season, Vols point guard Jordan Bone was a top-10 finalist for the Cousy Award before being drafted by the Detroit Pistons in June.
Named after Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic and Holy Cross guard Bob Cousy, the annual honor now in its 17th year recognizes the top point guards in Division I basketball. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel selected the 20-man watch list.
Turner is one of three SEC point guards on this season’s watch list (complete list below), and Tennessee will face four candidates this year.
Long known as an explosive scoring threat, Turner last season solidified his reputation as an elite perimeter defender. The Florence, Alabama, native averaged 11.0 points and 3.8 assists per game as a junior last season. His 35 steals were a career-high and ranked second on the team.
Turner’s 105 assists and 42 turnovers last year gave him a career-best 2.5 assist/turnover ratio, which ranked fourth among SEC players and was the eighth best single-season mark in program history.
The 2018 SEC Co-Sixth Man of the Year, Turner is sure to be an All-SEC candidate this season. He received his degree in Communication Studies in May and is now enrolled in graduate-level courses.
New to the award this season is fan voting, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds. Fans are able to vote starting on Oct. 18.
By mid-February, the 20-player watch list will be narrowed to 10. In March, the names of five finalists will be presented to Cousy and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. The winner of the 2020 Bob Cousy Award will be announced at ESPN’s college basketball awards show after the Final Four on April 10.
Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes has previously developed one Bob Cousy Award winner, as Texas point guard D.J. Augustin—now with the Orlando Magic—claimed the award in 2008.
Other previous winners include Ja Morant of Murray State (2019), Jalen Brunson of Villanova (2018), Frank Mason III of Kansas (2017), Tyler Ulis of Kentucky (2016), Delon Wright of Utah (2015), Shabazz Napier of Connecticut (2014), Trey Burke of Michigan (2013), Kendall Marshall of North Carolina (2012), Kemba Walker of UConn (2011), Greivis Vasquez of Maryland (2010), Ty Lawson of North Carolina (2009), Acie Law of Texas A&M (2007), Dee Brown of Illinois (2006), Raymond Felton of North Carolina (2005) and Jameer Nelson of St. Joseph’s (2004).
For more information on the 2020 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award and the latest updates, log onto www.hoophallawards.com and follow @hoophall on Twitter and Instagram.
2020 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award Candidates*
Remy Martin Jr., Arizona State
McKinley Wright IV, Colorado
Tre Jones, Duke
Andrew Nembhard, Florida
Trent Forrest, Florida St.
Bryce Aiken, Harvard
Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois
Devon Dotson, Kansas
Ashton Hagans, Kentucky
Markus Howard, Marquette
Anthony Cowan, Maryland
Zavier Simpson, Michigan
Cassius Winston, Michigan State
Cole Anthony, North Carolina
Payton Pritchard, Oregon
Jordan Ford, Saint Mary’s
Lamonte Turner, Tennessee
Davide Moretti, Texas Tech
Marcus Evans, VCU
Kihei Clark, Virginia
*Players can play their way onto and off of the list at any point in the 2019-20 season
