Carolina's Marshall wins Cousy Award

Mar 29, 2012 - 5:03 PM Springfield, MA (Sports Network) - North Carolina's Kendall Marshall has been selected as the winner of the Bob Cousy Award, presented annually to the top point guard in the nation.

Marshall is the third North Carolina player to claim the honor, following Raymond Felton in 2005 and Ty Lawson in 2009.

The sophomore helped the Tar Heels to a record of 32-6, but his season came to an abrupt end after the third round of the NCAA Tournament when a fractured bone in his right wrist forced him to the bench. North Carolina won its first game without Marshall, but lost to Kansas in the regional final.

Marshall led the nation in assists with an ACC single-season record 351, and averaged 8.1 points with 9.8 assists in 36 games. He had 17 double-figure assist games and set an ACC Tournament record with 31 assists in three games.

"Kendall had one of the finest season-long performances by a point guard that I can remember, so it is fitting for him to win the Bob Cousy Award," said North Carolina head coach Roy Williams in a statement. "He made it almost routine to have a game with 10 or more assists, something that just doesn't happen on a regular basis. He is a coach's dream -- the way he runs the team on the floor, exemplifies great leadership and makes each of his teammates better. He set standards that will be hard for college point guards to match in years to come."

The other finalists were Isaiah Canaan of Murray State, Matthew Dellavedova of Saint Mary's, Weber State's Damian Lillard and Kansas' Tyshawn Taylor.