The Bob Cousy Award Preseason Watch List, an honor given annually to the nation’s top point guard, was released on Tuesday afternoon. While this year’s award seems destined for Providence’s Kris Dunn, both Kansas’ Frank Mason and Iowa State’s Monte Morris received recognition in this first iteration of the Watch List.
Mason turned heads in Lawrence last season, his first at the helm of Bill Self’s offense. The Jayhawks came into the year with serious questions about their point guard position, but the sophomore answered them by providing the most consistent point guard play Kansas has seen since Sherron Collins was still on campus. Mason’s game actually shares many similarities to Collins’, particularly when it comes to overall approach. Both players possess a bulldog mentality, neither having ever shied away from attacking much bigger players. Mason also improved his outside shooting in 2014-15, knocking down 43 percent of his three-point attempts on the season (up from 33 percent the year prior). What’s more is that his assist rate rose and turnover percentage correspondingly dropped last season, despite playing more than twice the minutes he did as a freshman.
As good as Mason’s sophomore campaign was, it was outshined by another Big 12 point guard just up I-35 in Ames, Iowa. Iowa State’s Monte Morris is a more traditional point guard than his counterpart Mason, and for the second straight season, the versatile Cyclone led the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio. In creating 4.63 assists for each of his turnovers, Morris did an excellent job of protecting the ball while also running an uptempo offense and getting his teammates involved. However, with Steve Prohm replacing head coach Fred Hoiberg on the Cyclones bench, expect Morris to take on a more prominent scoring role this season. Prohm was successful at Murray State by featuring scoring point guards like future NBA guards Isaiah Canaan and Cameron Payne in his offense, and Morris has the ability to likewise expand his game if given the opportunity. He was an efficient scorer last season, knocking down 55 percent of his two-pointers and 40 percent of his three-point attempts.
Another point guard poised to receive an expanded role is Texas junior Isaiah Taylor, as new head coach Shaka Smart will demand his point guard become more of a leader of the team. And yet, despite being on last season’s Preseason Watch List, Taylor was left off this time around. The omission would make more sense had Taylor experienced a decline in his game last season, but no such drop-off occurred, as Taylor’s box plus/minus rose from 1.9 to 4.0 as a sophomore. An improved passing game served as a major factor in the leap: Taylor’s assist rate rose a full seven percent as he became more comfortable as a facilitator and distributor. While he could still stand to become a more efficient scorer, Taylor is certainly a good enough player to warrant inclusion on the Cousy Watch List. This was an oversight.
While the major storyline in the Big 12 this season will be the league’s impressive crop of returning seniors, it is also home to some of the best point guard play in the country. Fans and award committees would do well to pay attention throughout the year.