Kansas PG Devon Dotson one of five finalists for Bob Cousy Award

By Matt Tait     Mar 2, 2020

Nick Krug
Kansas Jayhawks guard Devon Dotson (1) puts a floater over Baylor Bears guard Jared Butler (12) during the first half on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020 at Allen Fieldhouse.

Kansas point guard Devon Dotson on Monday was announced as one of five finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, given annually to college basketball’s best point guard.

Dotson, who leads the Big 12 in scoring at 18.2 points per game, is joined on the list of finalists by Duke’s Tre Jones, Oregon’s Payton Pritchard, Marquette’s Markus Howard and San Diego State’s Malachi Flynn.

“The point guards on this list have had outstanding seasons thus far and should be proud to be recognized as the best in the collegiate game this season,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “They continue to show the playmaking and leadership skills that Bob Cousy displayed, which will serve them well as they finish the remainder of the season and compete for a championship.”

Dotson, Howard and Flynn all rank in the top 4 of the KenPom.com player of the year picture, with Dotson continuing to hold down the No. 1 spot, just ahead of Iowa big man Luka Garza.

KU center Udoka Azubuike currently sits seventh in the KenPom player of the year standings.

Dotson leads the Jayhawks in scoring and steals (58), ranks second on the team in assists (113) and also is shooting 30.4% from 3-point range and 82% from the free throw line while playing a team-high 34.7 minutes per game.

“He’s far exceeded what I thought he could do from (a scoring) standpoint,” KU coach Bill Self said recently. “And he’s probably equaled what I thought he could do in the other categories. So he’s had a great year.”

Dotson ranks third in scoring among the five Cousy finalists, with Howard, who ranks No. 1 the nation in scoring at 27.6 points per game, leading the way.

Pritchard (20.2), Flynn (17.6) and Jones (16.1) round out the scoring averages of the nation’s top Division I point guards.

The recipient of the 2020 Bob Cousy Award will be chosen by a combination of votes from a select group of college basketball panelists and a fan vote. The fan voting will begin on Friday and can be accessed at www.hoophallawards.com.

The winner will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy’s in Los Angeles on April 10, along with the other four members of the Naismith Starting Five.

The other awards being presented that night are: the Jerry West Shooting Guard Award, the Julius Erving Small Forward Award, the Karl Malone Power Forward Award and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center Award, in addition to the Women’s Starting Five.

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.