SPRINGFIELD, Mass.–The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in conjunction with The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. announced recently that two players competing at the NCAA, Division II level are among the finalists for the Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford, an honor presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate point guard. Sixteen Finalist were chosen from a pool of over sixty top candidates from NCAA institutions across the country.  The 2008 Finalists were selected by screening committees comprised of members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) representing all three divisions of collegiate basketball.

The Division II players are Jonny Reibel of Rollins and Luke Cooper of Alaska-Anchorage.

Previous winners of the award include Acie Law IV (2007) of Texas A&M, Dee Brown of Illinois (2006), Raymond Felton from North Carolina (2005) and Jameer Nelson from St. Joseph’s (2004).

Beginning February 1, college basketball fans nationwide will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite candidate online at www.cousyaward.com.  The top vote-getter from the on-line poll will receive the “Fan Vote”, representing one vote to be cast by the Blue Ribbon committee selecting the Award winner.  The Blue Ribbon committee is comprised of Hall of Famers including Bob Cousy, Dean Smith and Jim Calhoun, as well as college coaches from Divisions I, II and III, members of the media and additional college basketball experts and celebrities.  The 2008 Bob Cousy Award presented by The Hartford winner will be announced at the NCAA Men’s Final Four in San Antonio, Texas on Monday, April 7.

“When Mr. Cousy created this prestigious award, his desire was to not only recognize a point guard for their ability, but to honor those who represent character traits such as leadership, vision and integrity, said Basketball Hall of Fame President & CEO John L. Doleva.  “When you review the credentials of the student-athletes who are Finalists for the 2008 Award, it is clear there are a number of talented players who are striving to live and achieve the standards set by Mr. Cousy.”  

"Just like these players demonstrate on the basketball court, The Hartford and its network of independent agents represent leadership, vision, teamwork and integrity in the insurance industry," said David Moore, assistant vice president of marketing for The Hartford's Property & Casualty operations.  "We're honored to be part of a growing tradition that supports these values, and we wish the best of luck to all the finalists for this year's award."

Cousy, also known as "Mr. Basketball," is considered the prototype of point guards and was a freshman on the Holy Cross team that won the NCAA Championship in 1947.  He was a pioneer in the NBA, famous for bringing a ‘flashy’ style of passing and showmanship to the game.  Named one of the Top 50 Players in NBA History, Cousy led the Boston Celtics to championships in 1957 and 1959 through 1963. Cousy led the NBA in assists for eight consecutive years (1953-1960) and played in 13 straight All-Star games. After his retirement from professional basketball he was a successful coach at Boston College from 1963 to 1969, with an overall record of 117 wins and 38 losses.

2008 BOB COUSY AWARD PRESENTED BY THE HARTFORD FINALISTS

DIVISION I
DJ Augustin  (Texas)
Darren Collison (UCLA)
Devan Downey (South Carolina)
Jamont Gordon (Mississippi State)
Mike Green  (Butler)
Dominic James (Marquette)
Ty Lawson  (North Carolina)
Eric Maynor  (Virginia Commonwealth)
Tyrese Rice  (Boston College)
Brian Roberts  (Dayton)
Derrick Rose  (Memphis)
Sean Singletary (Virginia)

DIVISION II
Luke Cooper  (Alaska-Anchorage)
Jonny Reibel  (Rollins)

DIVISION III
David Arsenault (Grinnell)
Andrew Olson  (Amherst)