Kendall Marshall wins Bob Cousy Award

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina sophomore Kendall Marshall on Thursday was named the recipient of the 2012 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award, which is given annually to the nation’s top point guard.

Marshall joins Raymond Felton (2005) and Ty Lawson (2009) as Tar Heels who have won the Cousy Award.

Marshall set an ACC single-season record with 351 assists, and his 3.01 assist-to-turnover ratio is the best in ACC history. He finished an ACC record 17 games during his sophomore season with double-figure assists.

Marshall suffered a fracture in his right wrist during the Tar Heels’ 87-73 victory against Creighton in the third round of the NCAA tournament. He missed UNC’s final two games – a victory against Ohio and an 80-67 defeat against Kansas in the Midwest regional final in St. Louis.

“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,” UNC coach Roy Williams said 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.”

Williams described Marshall as “a coach’s dream” and lauded his ability to run UNC’s offense, lead and make his teammates better. Marshall holds five of UNC’s top-eight single-game assist totals, and he set an ACC tournament record with 31 assists in three games.

He earned second-team All-ACC honors and was named a third-team All-American by the Associated Press.