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The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame released the final six candidates for the 2010 Bob Cousy Award on Friday, March 5th, 2010. The award is given to the nationals top point guard and is named after hall of fame point guard, Bob Cousy who played for the Boston Celtics. The original list of 73 candidates for the award was released earlier in the season and subsequently cut to 20, then 11, and now six finalists for the award. The winner of the 2010 Bob Cousy Award will be announced on April 1st with the presentation coming on Monday, April 5th, at the 2010 Final Four during the Bob Cousy Award Breakfast and Basketball Hall of Fame Class Announcement. Its no surprise, that many of the Naismith Award finalists are on the final Cousy list as well with Evan Turner, Greivis Vasquez, Scottie Reynolds, Sherron Collins, and John Wall appearing on both listings.

How is the Winner of the Bob Cousy Award Determined?

The original listing for nominees of the award is solicited from all head coaches of Division I, II, and III college basketball teams. The Bob Cousy Award screening committee then reviews the nomination listing and released finalists lists of 20, 10, and in 2010 6 finalists for the award. The committee then meets via conference call to determine the winner of the award. The selection committee is appointed by the Basketball Hall of Fame and can consist of up to 30 members from basketball Hall of Famers, Head basketball coaches from Division I, II, and II, the media, and sports information directions. The final determination is by ballot after the conference call.

2010 Bob Cousy Award Finalists

Sherron Collins – Kansas
Scottie Reynolds – Villanova
Jon Scheyer – Duke
Evan Turner – Ohio State
Greivis Vasquez – Maryland
John Wall – Kentucky

2010 Bob Cousy Award Final 20

Chris Warren, Ole Miss
Denis Clemente, Kansas State
Deonta Vaughn, Cincinnati
Devan Downey, South Carolina
Greivis Vasquez, Maryland
Jeremy Lin, Harvard
Jerome Randle, Cal
John Wall, Kentucky
Jon Scheyer, Duke
Kalin Lucas, Michigan State
Kemba Walker, Connecticut
Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech
Manny Harris, Michigan
Matt Bouldin, Gonzaga
Nic Wise, Arizona
Ronald Moore, Siena
Scottie Reynolds, Villanova
Sherron Collins, Kansas
Talor Battle, Penn State
Trevon Hughes, Wisconsin

Sherron Collins coming back for his senior year at Kansas has helped make the Jayhawks the preseason college basketball number one ranked team and gave the Jayhawks one of the best backcourts in the country. Two highly touted freshman in John Wall and Abdul Gaddy are on the list and are expected to make big impacts at Kentucky and Washington respectfully. Wall comes into the 2009-10 season as one of the highest ranked college basketball players and many expect he’ll follow Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans to the NBA after his freshman year under Coach John Calipari. Many fans debate the utility of including freshmen on preseason “Top 10 ” lists, however with the impact that we’ve see over the past 5 years of fresmen in the NCAA, I chose to include John Wall and Abdul Gaddy in my top 10.

Top 10 NCAA Basketball Point Guards

#1 2009 NCAA Basketball Point Guard -  Sherron Collins, Kansas

Sherron Collins put the NBA off for a year to come back for a shot at the NCAA title. If he can lead Kansas to the national title it will be the second during his tenure at Kansas.

#2 2009 NCAA Basketball Point Guard – John Wall, Kentucky

John Wall comes into Kentucky as one of the most-hyped college and pro prospects in a long time. Put him alongside Eric Bledsoe and Darrius Miller with Patrick Patterson and DeMarcus Cousins and the only thing that will hold John Wall back will be himself this season.

#3 2009 NCAA Basketball Point Guard – Kalin Lucas, Michigan State

Kalin Lucas almost led the Spartans to the national championship last season. Look for him to take control of games more often this season and lead the Spartans deep into the 2010 NCAA tournament.

#4 2009 NCAA Basketball Point Guard Greivis Vasquez, Maryland

If you’re a fan of non-ACC conferences, then you may not have heard much about Greivis Vasquez from last season. In any other conference, his second consecutive season of scoring more than 17 points a game at a17.5 ppg scoring average with 5.0 assists per game, 1.4 steals, and 5.4 rebounds per game would have made him a household name. Look for even bigger things out of Vasquez this coming season.

#5 2009 NCAA Basketball Point Guard – Abdul Gaddy, Washington

If Abdul Gaddy had signed with an ACC, Big East, or Big Ten team, we would see significantly more hype surrounding him for the 2009-10 NCAA season. He’s going to do big things at Washington this season.

#6 2009 NCAA Basketball Point Guard – Devan Downey, South Carolina

Devan Downey should pass 2,000 points and 500 assists for his career at South Carolina this season. The Gamecocks will upset some teams this season, and if Downey has a big year South Carolina may be able to make the tournament in 2010.

#7 2009 NCAA Basketball Point Guard Nic Wise, Arizona

Nic Wise can run the point as well as shoot the 3 ball. He made better than 40 percent of his 3-point shots las season.

#8 2009 NCAA Basketball Point Guard – Corey Fisher, Villanova

Nova comes into the 2009-10 season as the Big East favorite. Corey Fisher will have a big role in how the Wildcats season turns out.

#9 2009 NCAA Basketball Point Guard – Kemba Walker, Connecticut

Kemba Walker would be ranked higher if he had displayed a better ability to shoot the basll last season. He has a knack for getting deep penetration with defenses and will have UConn competing with Nova for the Big East title this season.

#10 2009 NCAA Basketball Point Guard – Edgar Sosa, Louisville

Edgar Sosa comes back to lead the Louisville Cardinals into the 2009-10 season. The defending Big East regular season and tournament champions didn’t go as deep in the 2009 NCAA tournament as many expected, but their fate in 2010 will rely heavily on Sosa’s performance running the point for Coach Rick Pitino.

Kentucky Coach John Calipari

Now that the majority of the 2009 NCAA recruiting classes are set and we know who is going into the 2009 NBA draft, I figured it was time to put out my pre-season Top 25. We’ll see a little movement over the next few months depending on what Lance Stephenson decides to do and where the USC recruits end up, but the 2009-10 NCAA basketball  season does prove to be an exciting one!

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 1 Kansas
Bill Self is heading into the 200910 season fully loaded with his talent from last year as well as another great recruiting class headlined by star shooting guard, Xavier Henry. Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich are back for another shot at the NCAA title, and the Jayhawks should repeat as Big 12 champions next season.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 2 Kentucky
Its debatable on what the impact of Jodie Meeks not coming back to Kentucky for the 2009-10 season is going to be. He led the Wildcats and the SEC in scoring last season, but if the number 1 recruiting class of 2009 performs as expected, Coach John Calipari will have the Wildcats heading deep into the 2010 NCAA tournament next year! The Wildcats will have one of the strongest front courts in the country with Patrick Patterson, DeMarcus Cousins, and Daniel Orton to go with the top rated point guard prospect in the country, John Wall.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 3 Villanova
Scottie Reynolds returning to Nova with a great recruiting class is making the Wildcats the Big East favorite and a threat for the 2010 NCAA title!

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 4 Michigan State
The Spartans have three starters returning but will have a fight for the Big Ten title with Purdue and Ohio State.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 5 North Carolina

Ed Davis and Deon Thompson are back along with prize recruits John Henson and Leslie McDonald. This might be a bit high for the defending champs, but something tells me they’re going to be going deep again in the 2010 tourney!

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 6 Purdue
Purdue will be challenging Michigan State for the Big 10 title. They have all of their starters back along with JaJuan Johnson and will be a regular in the Top Ten during the 2009-10 season.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 7 Texas
The Long Horns have a great recruiting class headed by Avery Bradley and Jordan Hamilton. They’re going to give Kansas a run for the Big 12 Title and will be a force to be reckoned with in the post season.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 8 Duke
Duke is bringing back a solid core from last season’s team. Gerald Henderson will be missed and they may have a bit of trouble at the point initially, but the Blue Devils will be a top ten team next season.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 9 West Virginia
West Virginia is led by point guard Joe Mazzulla and Devin Ebanks will be a first round pick in the 2010 or 2011 NBA draft. The mountaineers should go deeper in the post season in 2010 than last year and will be one of the powerhouses in the Big East in 2009-10.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 10- Ohio State
Ohio State lost B.J. Mullens to the 2009 NBA draft, but they have Evan Turner back as well as a number of other starters to go with David Lighty.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 11- Washington
Washington was able to sign the second best point guard in the 2009 NCAA basketball recruiting class in Abdul Gaddy who will complement Thomas at the 2 guard position while leading Washington in the 2009-10 season.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 12 Oklahoma
Oklahoma had a strong recruiting year in 2009 and with Willie Warren coming back they will push Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma State in the Big 12.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 13 Tennessee
With Tyler Smith returning, Bruce Pearl has an experienced team heading in to the 2009-10 season. The Vols will be looking to keep Kentucky from going undefeated in SEC play next season and will be a top 15 team heading into the season.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 14 Cal
The Cal Bears will be competing with Washington for the PAC-10’s top spot next season. UCLA could come into the mix as well depending on how quickly their 2009 recruiting class performs as well.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 15 Miss State
If Renardo Sidney can gain his eligibility, Mississippi State will be a Top 20 team all season and will be trying to give Kentucky a run for their money for the SEC overall and tournament titles.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 16 Connecticut
Stanley Robinson, Ater Majok, and Kemba Walker will be leading the Huskies to another season atop the Big East and a national ranking.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 17 Dayton
Dayton almost has their entire team back from last season’s that won 27 games and a NCAA tournament game. They will be vying for the A-10 championship and we’ll see them ranked the majority of the season.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 18 Minnesota
Former Kentucky Wildcat coach Tubby Smith has his starters returning with a decent recruiting class. He’ll have a tough time trying to get past Ohio State, MSU, and Purdue, but the Gophers will be in the thick of the Big 10 race for the majority of the season.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 19 Butler
Butler could easily be ranked higher. They have everyone back from last season to include star Matt Howard.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 20 Oklahoma State
OSU has a great 2009 basketball recruiting class inbound in Travis Ford’s run and gun offense. They’ll score a lot of points, have fun, and just might pull some upsets along the way!

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 21 Michigan
DeShawn Sims and Manny Harris will be two of the leaders on the Wolverines squad next season. They could play up in the rankings once the season gets going.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 22 Missouri
The Tigers have a deep bench and will be dangerous again next season. Look for the team to take a bit time to gel after losing Leo Lyons and DeMarre Carroll, but will be clicking by tournament time.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 23 Louisville
Samardo Samuels and Terrence Jennings are going to be the “go to” players for Coach Rick Pitino next season. They have to perform to keep the Cards afloat in the Big East and the 2010 NCAA tournament.

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 24 Memphis
Coach Josh Pastner has been putting together a pretty impressive recruiting class after taking over from Coach John Calipari. Many have counted the Tigers out, but with their current recruiting crop, look for them to win more than 25 games next season!

2009 NCAA Basketball Rankings – No. 25 Siena
Siena has a majority of their core players coming back from last season. Losing Kenny Hasbrouck drops them a bit, so they eeked by Illinois to make Nr 25 on my rankings.

Close to Being Ranked:

Florida State – Solomon Alabi, Jordan Mercy, and Chris Singleton lead the Seminole front court along with incoming recruit Michael Snaer.

Illinois – The Fighting Illini have a great 2009 recruiting class. They just missed being in the top 25, but can quickly find themselves there once the season gets moving.

Georgetown – Georgetown was one of the disappointing teams of last season. With Greg Monroe back, the Hoyas should be able to build on the 2008-09 season and make it to the NCAA’s at the end of the year.

Refs:

http://kenpom.com/rate.php, http://www.latimes.com/sports/college/basketball/la-sp-renardo-sidney5-2009jun05,0,7406854.story, ttp://beyondthearc.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/04/17/1897733.aspx, http://bleacherreport.com/articles/162509-the-return-of-marcus-ginyard-your-2009-10-north-carolina-tar-heels, http://www.collegesports-fans.com/basketball-previews/2008-2009-previews/kansas-jayhawks-preview.html, http://www.zimbio.com/Chante+Black/news/PDWD71712ST/2009+Duke+Blue+Devils+Basketball+Recruiting, http://www.secsportsfan.com/2009-2010-kentucky-wildcats-basketball-preview.html,