Indiana basketball guard Myles Rice named to Bob Cousy Award Watchlist

Indiana basketball guard Myles Rice is off to a hot start with the season getting ready to tipoff in the next couple of weeks.

Per a Indiana basketball release, Rice was named to the preseason watchlist for the 2025 Bob Cousy Award, an award given to the best point guard in the country.

Rice is coming off a a strong performance in Indiana’s exhibition win over Tennessee with 20 points on 7-of-14 from the field with four assists and zero turnovers in 31 minutes.

Below is the full release.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced the preseason watchlist for the 2025 Bob Cousy Award, including Indiana redshirt sophomore guard Myles Rice, on Monday.

Named after Class of 1971 Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic and Holy Cross guard Bob Cousy, the annual honor, now in its 22nd year, recognizes the top point guard in Division I men’s college basketball. A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watchlist of 20 athletes.

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.

Previous winners of the Bob Cousy Award include Tristen Newton, UConn (2024), Markquis Nowell, Kansas State (2023), Collin Gillespie, Villanova (2022), Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois (2021), Ja Morant, Murray State (2019), Jalen Brunson, Villanova (2018), Trey Burke, Michigan (2013), Kendall Marshall, North Carolina (2012), Kemba Walker, Connecticut (2011), and Jameer Nelson, St. Joseph’s (2004).

The 6-3, 180-pound guard averaged 14.8 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per game while leading Washington State to the program’s first NCAA Tournament berth in 16 years. He posted 27 double-figure scoring games, 16 multi-steal performances, 13 outings with at least five assists, and netted 20-plus points on six occasions.The Columbia, S.C., native was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, All-Pac-12 First Team, Pac-12 All-Freshman Team, and was selected Pac-12 Freshman of the Week seven times. He set Washington State freshman records for single-game scoring (35), single-season scoring (519), single-season steals (56), single-season assists (134), single-season field goals (190), and single-season free throw percentage (81.1%). He started all 35 games played for the Cougars.Rice took a redshirt season in 2021-22 and medically redshirted while receiving treatment for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma during the 2022-23 season. He received his last chemotherapy treatment on March 9, 2023. Rice was named the Student Athlete of the Year at the 2023 Black Student-Athlete summit.

The Indiana Hoosiers will open the home slate of the 2024-25 season with an exhibition against Marian at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 1. The regular season will start at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Nov. 6 against SIUE at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

2025 BOB COUSY POINT GUARD OF THE YEAR AWARD PRESEASON CANDIDATES*

Mark Sears, Alabama

Jeremy Roach, Baylor

Tyrese Proctor, Duke

Walter Clayton, Florida

Malik Mack, Georgetown

Ryan Nembhard, Gonzaga

MYLES RICE, INDIANA

Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State

Dajuan Harris, Kansas

Josh Hubbard, Mississippi State

Elliot Cadeau, North Carolina

Markus Burton, Notre Dame

Bruce Thornton, Ohio State

Ace Baldwin, Penn State

Braden Smith, Purdue

Dylan Harper, Rutgers

Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee

Jordan Pope, Texas

Wade Taylor IV, Texas A&M

Elijah Hawkins, Texas Tech

*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2024-25 season

SEE ALSO: Indiana basketball one of only five programs to have 4 players listed in CBS Sports rankings

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