Alabama G Releford Named To Cousy Award Watch List

Alabama junior point guard Trevor Releford has been selected to the watch list for the 2013 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award, which was released on Thursday by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

The Cousy Award, named for basketball hall of famer and legendary former Boston Celtics star Bob Cousy, recognizes the top point guard in men's college basketball annually.

Releford, a Preseason First Team All-Southeastern Conference honoree, has helped lead Alabama to a 7-3 start through 10 games this season. The Kansas City, Mo., native currently leads the team in scoring average (16.0 ppg) and steals per game (2.2). He ranks fourth in the SEC in steals, sixth in free throw shooting (86.5 percent) and ninth in scoring.

Earlier this year, Releford was named as the 2K Sports Classic Most Outstanding Player after leading the Crimson Tide to the tournament’s title on Nov. 16. In the championship game against Villanova, Releford recorded a career-high 25 points on his way to also nabbing SEC Player of the Week honors.

"The Bob Cousy Award promotes the values of leadership, determination and teamwork - all skills needed on the basketball court and in life," said Ken Kaufman, Chair of the Bob Cousy Award and former president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). "Mr. Cousy exemplified all of these traits, and inspired so many people on and off the court. We hope that this coveted award continues to honor his legacy."

More than 80 candidates were included on Thursday's initial watch list, which will be narrowed down to 20 in January and then trimmed to 10 in February. In March, five finalists will be named, and a selection panel of collegiate basketball coaches, media members, sports information directors and hall of famers will name the winner.

Alabama will be back in action on Saturday afternoon when it hosts Mercer at 1 p.m. The game can be heard locally on 95.3 FM.