WRAL Sports Fan

North Carolina State University

Lorenzo Brown named finalist for Bob Cousy Award

Feb 7, 2013

North Carolina State University guard Lorenzo Brown and Miami guard Shane Larkin have been named finalists for the 2013 Bob Cousy Award, which honors the top point guards in the country. 

Brown leads the Atlantic Coast Conference with 6.9 assists per game, and Larkin (2.3 steals per game) has helped lead the Hurricanes to a 9-0 start in conference play and a top-10 national ranking in the Associated Press poll. 

Brown leads the ACC with a 6.9 assists per game average and his 2.1 steals per game is second in the league. Brown is among the conference’s leading scorers with an average of 12.7 points per game (19th in the ACC) and a team-best 33.8 minutes per contest.

Brown needs six assists to become only the third player in school history to record 500 in his Wolfpack career. He is the ACC’s active assists leader with 494 – 127 more assists than Miami’s Durand Scott, who ranks second. Earlier this season, Brown became the 48th NC State player to score 1,000 career points.

This year, Brown has notched six double-doubles, including a 12-point, 13-assist performance in the Pack’s 84-76 upset of then top-ranked Duke on Jan. 12. He recorded every assist in the game, marking only the third time since 1996-97 that a team tallied more than 10 assists with every one credited to the same player.

Larkin, a true sophomore, is averaging 11.9 points, 4.6 assists and 5.0 rebounds in ACC play. He had marquee performances in the defeat of No. 1 Duke (18 points 10 rebounds, 5 assists) and Virginia Tech (25 points, 3 steals, 3 assists), which have catapulted him into the conversation for national point guard of the year.

Former University of North Carolina point guard Kendall Marshall won the award in 2012 after leading the Tar Heels to 32 wins and a trip to the Elite 8.

Fans can go to online and vote for Brown, Larkin or another of the 12 finalists. The player receiving the most fan votes will get one vote toward the final committee vote. The fan balloting will last until March 7.

The annual honor is named for Boston Celtic Hall of Famer Bob Cousy. The original list of 80 players was trimmed down to 12 finalists by a national panel of voters.

The 2013 Bob Cousy Award will be presented at the Hall of Fame’s class announcement on Championship Monday of the Final Four in Atlanta.

• Web Editor: Derek Medlin