SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Lehigh sophomore Mackey McKnight has been named a candidate for the 2012 Bob Cousy Award, as announced by The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Monday. McKnight is one of only 65 players nation-wide, and the only Patriot Leaguer, nominated for the award presented to the collegiate point guard of the year.
The award is named for Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic Bob Cousy, who was a three-time All-American at Holy Cross where he played from 1946-50. The original list of candidates will be narrowed to a final 20 by January 1, final 10 by February 1 and final five by March 1.
Just 12 games into his sophomore season, McKnight has already enjoyed tremendous success in the Brown & White. He was named to the Patriot League All-Rookie Team as a freshman, playing in 30 games (25 starts) while dishing 3.7 assists per game, good for fifth in the league. He also averaged 7.6 points per contest, led by a career-high 24-point effort at Quinnipiac.
So far this year, McKnight is averaging 7.9 points and 2.9 assists per game, including five games with double-digit points and eight games with at least three assists. McKnight is shooting 90 percent from the free throw line (36-of-40), good for second in the Patriot League, and is 85.5 percent from the charity stripe for his career (112-of-131).
Previous winners of the Bob Cousy Award include Jameer Nelson (Saint Joseph’s), Raymond Felton (North Carolina), Dee Brown (Illinois), Acie Law (Texas A & M), DJ Augustin (Texas), Ty Lawson (North Carolina), Greivis Vasquez (Maryland) and last year’s recipient Kemba Walker (Connecticut). For more information on the 2012 Bob Cousy, log onto www.CousyAward.com.
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame:
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the Birthplace of Basketball, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame promotes and preserves the game of basketball at every level – professional, collegiate, men and women.
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