By Erin Foley
Originally Posted: 9/28/06, The Daily Illini

Illinois Men’s Basketball Coach Bruce Weber, on behalf of alumnus Dee Brown, accepts the Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award from Basketball Hall of Fame sculptor Brian P. Hanlon Thursday morning at the Ubben Basketball Complex in Champaign. The award was given to Dee for his performance during the 2005 basketball season.

Although Dee Brown never won the coveted national championship trophy he spent four seasons trying for, “the one-man-fast break” and face of college basketball still received his fair share of recognition – and with good reason.

Brown, along with James Augustine, won a record 114 games while at Illinois, and returned the school to one of the elite basketball programs with its trip to the Final Four in 2005.

That’s why Hall of Famer Bob Cousy thought Brown to be the right choice for the Cousy Award, given to the nation’s best point guard. Brown was presented with the trophy on April 3 in Indianapolis before the NCAA Championship game.

On Thursday, Brian Hanlon, a sculptor for the Basketball Hall of Fame and artist for the Cousy Award, presented head coach Bruce Weber with a replica of the trophy at the Ubben Basketball Facility. The award, which is in its fourth year, honors Cousy, who played point guard for the 1947 Holy Cross NCAA Championship team, was a Boston Celtic great and was named one of the top 50 players in NBA history.

“The award has Bob’s name on it because Bob is concerned and very adamant about creating an award pointing to the point guard and pointing to the fundamentals of basketball: passing, dribbling, shooting; and that the individual is an individual with great character and is a leader on the court,” Hanlon said.

Weber said Cousy is a player who blended the lines between old-school basketball and new-school basketball because of his behind-the-back passes and between-the-leg dribbles, but also because of his sound fundamentals of “playing the point guard position like I believe it should be played.”

Previous recipients of the Cousy Award include former St. Joseph’s star and Orlando Magic guard Jameer Nelson, and also Raymond Felton, who played at the University of North Carolina and is now with the Charlotte Bobcats. Felton was the Co-MVP of the 2005 NCAA Championship game and was selected fifth in that year’s NBA draft.

“We feel it’s been extremely successful so far; we’re in our fourth year and we hope this will be the Heisman trophy of basketball, which would be a tremendous honor for the Hall and Cousy,” Hanlon said.

The replica of the Cousy Award will be kept in the trophy cases at Ubben, and Brown was presented with a replica cast in aluminum, which he keeps at his mother’s home in Chicago.

In August, the Hall of Fame unveiled a new display case for the trophy Brown received last April. Brown and Cousy were both on hand for the presentation.

Brown is Illinois’ only basketball national award winner in the modern era. Weber, who has jokingly said to head athletic director Ron Guenther that more trophy cases might need to be built, said he hopes Illinois sees more Cousy Award winners in the future.

“I don’t know how many times we’re going to have the opportunity to have a Cousy Award winner,” Weber said. “But since we have Dee, I thought it would be great to have them see something that we should cherish and promote for many years to come.”

For more information on the statues created by Brian Hanlon, please visit http://www.hanlonsculpture.com

• Archives

Bob Cousy shared laughs and tears with the crowd gathered at his alma mater, Holy Cross.  The day was planned to honor Bob and unveil a bronze statue created by NJ sculptor, Brian Hanlon, in his honor.

Click here to watch the video of Bob Cousy’s speech

• Archives

Statue Honoring Basketball Legend Bob Cousy ’50 Unveiled on Campus

On Saturday, June 7, during Reunion Weekend, the College of the Holy Cross honored one of its best-known former student athletes, Bob Cousy ’50, with the unveiling of a life-size bronze statue in front of the Hart Recreation Center on campus. 

The highly anticipated event, celebrating the former Crusader and Boston Celtics point guard, drew a crowd of more than 400.  Among those in attendance were Cousy’s family and friends, alumni and former teammates (including Tom Heinsohn ’56 and Togo Palazzi ’54), Celtics and NBA staff, and media.

Ron Perry ’54, former athletic director at Holy Cross, served as the emcee of the unveiling ceremony, at which Rev. John E. Brooks, S.J., ’49, president emeritus, and Cousy’s daughter, Marie, spoke about the personal and professional accomplishments of “Mr. Basketball” and the importance of the statue. 

Humbled by the honor, Cousy also offered remarks.  Calling the experience “surreal,” he reflected on the College’s impressive athletic tradition and added, “I’m also very proud to be so acknowledged at a school that not only enjoys international acclaim and respect for its academic curriculum, but also for its commitment to social justice and truth.” 

Following the statue dedication, invited guests gathered for a reception and luncheon in the Hogan Campus Center at which former Celtic Tom Heinsohn ’56 and Basketball Hall of Fame President and CEO John Doleva shared their memories of the “Cooz” and remarked on his many contributions to the sport and the community.

Commissioned by a group of alumni and friends of the College, and created by New Jersey sculptor Brian Hanlon, the statue recognizes Cousy not only for his extraordinary basketball career at Holy Cross and with the Celtics, but also for his generous and long-term commitment to the citizenry of Worcester and for his efforts to integrate the NBA racially during its early years.

• Archives