Waters a Cousy finalist; Smart named freshman of the week

LSU coach Will Wade has been saying it all along, but now it’s official that sophomore point guard Tremont Waters is one of the best in the country at the position.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Waters as one of five finalists for the Bob Cousy Award for best point guard in college basketball.

The announcement comes shortly after Waters missed a pair of games with an illness, but after returning against Alabama on Saturday he is averaging 15.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 5.8 assists and an SEC-leading 3.0 assists per game.

“I’ve said all along I think he’s the best point guard in the country,” LWade said. “… Tremont’s been great for us all season. He’s done a phenomenal job for us. It’s all about winning. When you win, good things happen. If you win as a team, good things happen and individual awards come.”

Other finalists include Josh Perkins of Gonzaga, Markus Howard of Marquette, Cassius Winston of Michigan State and Ja Morant of Murray State.

Waters wasn’t the only one to receive good news Wednesday, as the Southeastern Conference also announced Javonte Smart as the league’s freshman of the week after back-to-back stellar performances against Texas A&M and Alabama. It marks the three-time Louisiana Mr. Basketball’s first accolade from the SEC.

“That was awesome,” Wade said of the announcement. “Well deserved. He’s played great for us all season long. Certainly the last two weeks, he’s taken his game to another level. This past week, he was phenomenal. The start he got off to at Alabama and how well he played against (Texas) A&M. I love his focus. I love how he’s been handling himself and how he just keeps working even though things are going well. He’s working, working, working. That’s what you want.”

Smart averaged 18 points, four rebounds, 3.5 assists and two steams in the Tigers’ victories over the Aggies and Crimson Tide.

About Tyler Nunez 362 Articles
Tyler Nunez is a former Assistant Editor of Tiger Rag. He covered LSU football and basketball and was a graduate of the LSU Manship School of Journalism.

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