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Ryan Arcidiacono had a tremendous freshman season for Villanova, and more than a few people took notice. Among them was the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, which awards the Bob Cousy Award annually to the best Collegiate Point Guard -- and Arch is on the preseason watch list for 2014. The watch list itself is compiled by a committee of media members and influencers within the college basketball community.
"This list represents some of the top student athletes from across the country. We are truly honored to be a part of this award," said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame.
The list of 46 names will be cut down to 20 candidates in early February and down to a final five by early March. Players can be both added or removed from the watch list in the interim.
A selection committee appointed by the Hall of Fame, reviews each candidate in contention. That committee is made up of college basketball professionals, including media, head coaches, media relations contacts and Hall of Famers.
"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 basketball players on and off the court."
Previous winners of the award include 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 last year's winner, Trey Burke (Michigan).
The award will be presented on Championship Monday at the Hall of Fame's Class of 2014 Announcement Press Conference in Dallas.
2014 Bob Cousy Award Watch List
- Trevor Releford: University of Alabama
- TJ McConnell: University of Arizona
- Jahii Carson: Arizona State University
- Derrick Marks: Boise State University
- Walt Lemon, Jr.: Bradley University
- Justin Cobbs University of California
- Kyle Anderson: UCLA
- Billy Baron: Canisius College
- Spencer Dinwiddie: University of Colorado
- Shabazz Napier: University of Connecticut
- Quinn Cook: Duke University
- Brett Comer: Florida Gulf Coast University
- Kasey Hill: University of Florida
- Devon Bookert: Florida State University
- Markel Starks: Georgetown University
- Kevin Pangos: Gonzaga University
- Keifer Sykes: Green Bay
- Siyani Chambers: Harvard University
- Brandyn Curry: Harvard University
- Yogi Ferrell: Indiana University
- Jake Odum: Indiana State University
- DeAndre Kane: Iowa State University
- Andrew Harrison: University of Kentucky
- Elfrid Payton: Lafayette University
- Jason Brickman: LIU - Brooklyn
- Anthony Ireland: Loyola Marymount University
- Chris Jones: University of Louisville
- Chaz Williams: University of Massachusetts
- Michael Dixon: University of Memphis
- Joe Jackson: University of Memphis
- Keith Appling: Michigan State University
- Jordan Clarkson: University of Missouri
- Kendall Williams: University of New Mexico
- Marcus Paige: University of North Carolina
- Eric Atkins: University of Notre Dame
- Aaron Craft: Ohio State University
- Marcus Smart: Oklahoma State University
- Dominic Artis: University of Oregon
- Tim Frazier: Penn State University
- Kris Dunn: Providence College
- Tyler Ennis: Syracuse University
- Preston Medlin: Utah State University
- Ryan Arcidiacono: Villanova University
- Nigel Williams-Goss: University of Washington
- Semaj Christon: Xavier University
- Kendrick Perry: Youngstown St. University