Wolters finalist for Cousy Award and Summit League Athlete of Month

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame released the names of the 12 finalists for the 2013 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award on Thursday, a list that includes South Dakota State senior Nate Wolters.

“I would be shocked if there’s a point guard that’s carrying the averages that he is overall. Not only is he a great scorer, but he may be the best rebounding guard I’ve ever coach,” head coach Scott Nagy said. “To do it from the point guard position is exceptional, and when I look around the country, I don’t see any other point guards that have the total package that he does.”

Beginning on Thursday, Feb. 7, fans can cast their vote for the top point guard by logging onto CousyAward.com. The player that receives the most fan votes receives one vote toward the final committee vote. The fan voting concludes on March. 7.

The annual honor, named for Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic Bob Cousy, recognizes the top point guards in men’s college basketball. The list started with 80 candidates and got smaller after a nationally based committee narrowed the list to 12 student-athletes.

ELMHURST, Ill – The Summit League named South Dakota State’s player Nate Wolters as its January Male Athlete of the Month for his contributions to the Jackrabbit men’s basketball team in the month of January.

Wolters collects his first career Athlete of the Month honor after surpassing the 2,000 career point mark and leading South Dakota State to 28-straight home victories, currently the second-longest in the nation.

“It’s surprising that this is the first time that it’s happened, but I think sometimes people get used to Nate’s numbers being so high that it can kind of lull you to sleep,” head coach Scott Nagy said. “He’s certainly deserving of it, and we hope that more honors are to come.”

The senior guard scored his 2,000th career point on Jan. 17 in the win at Western Illinois, snapping the Leathernecks 11-game win streak and handing them their first league loss of the season with 22 points, five rebounds and six assists.

On Jan. 3, Wolters set the Jackrabbit school record for career free throws made while scoring 23 points with seven assists in the win at Kansas City. Two nights later, the St. Cloud, Minn., native set the school’s career scoring mark in the win at South Dakota with 26 points.

For the month, the Jan. 21 Player of the Week, averaged 21.6 points, 5.5 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. He shot 48 percent (56-of-118) from the field and 85 percent (45-of-53) at the line as the Jacks went 7-1 and ascended to a first place tie in the standings during the month. Wolters was also named one of the final 20 candidates for the Bob Cousy Award and to the midseason top-15 for the John Wooden Awards on Jan. 10.