KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Zakai Zeigler of the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team is a member of the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Preseason Watch List, as announced Monday afternoon by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Named after Class of 1971 Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic and Holy Cross guard Bob Cousy, the annual honor, now in its 21st year, recognizes the top point guard in Division I men’s college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates.
“The point guards that have been named to the 2024 Bob Cousy Award Watch List truly embody the skills and characteristics that made Bob Cousy the ‘Houdini of the Hardwood,’” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. “We look forward to watching their leadership and playmaking abilities take center stage and working alongside Bob Cousy and the selection committee to narrow down the watch list throughout the season.”
Joining Zeigler on the list are Max Abmas (Texas), Steven Ashworth (Creighton) , Ace Baldwin Jr. (Penn State), Boo Buie (Northwestern), Isaiah Collier (USC), RJ Davis (North Carolina), Dajuan Harris Jr. (Kansas), Tyler Kolek (Marquette), Judah Mintz (Syracuse), Ryan Nembhard (Gonzaga), Tristen Newton (Connecticut), Nijel Pack (Miami), Tyrese Proctor (Duke), Jahvon Quinerly (Memphis), Jamal Shead (Houston), Isaiah Stevens (Colorado State), Wade Taylor IV (Texas A&M), DJ Wagner (Kentucky) and Jahmir Young (Maryland). Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2023-24 season.
A junior guard from Long Island, N.Y., Zeigler is coming off a 2022-23 campaign in which he was named a Second Team All-SEC selection and one of 10 semifinalists for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. He averaged 10.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 2.0 steals per game, helping Tennessee to a 25-11 (11-7 SEC) record, a Sweet 16 berth and a year-end No. 20/16 national ranking.
Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds starting on October 27. In late January, the watch list will be narrowed to 10 and then, in late February, to just five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Cousy and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee, at which time a winner will be selected.
The winner of the 2024 Bob Cousy Award will be presented on a to be determined date, along with the other four members of the Men’s Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Jerry West Award (Shooting Guard), Julius Erving Award (Small Forward), Karl Malone (Power Forward), and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (Center), in addition to the Women’s Starting Five