Miles Sadler is on the 2027 Bob Cousy Award preseason watch list.
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame unveiled the 20-player watch list for the annual honor, which goes to the top point guard in NCAA Division I men’s college basketball. The award, named for Class of 1971 Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtic and Holy Cross guard Bob Cousy, is in its 24th year.
The Hall of Fame also announced the 20 candidates for the 2027 Nancy Lieberman Award, presented in partnership with the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. That award, now in its 28th year, recognizes the top point guard in NCAA Division I women’s college basketball and is based on the floor leadership, playmaking, and ball-handling skills associated with Class of 1996 Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman.
Sadler is one of 20 men on the list that includes Markus Burton of Indiana, Elliot Cadeau of Michigan, Jason Crowe Jr. of Missouri, Silas Demary Jr. of UConn, Donovan Dent of LSU, Quinn Ellis of St. John’s, Jeremy Fears Jr. of Michigan State, Boogie Fland of Florida, Aden Holloway of Alabama, Josh Hubbard of Mississippi State, Nigel James Jr. of Marquette, Acaden Lewis of Miami, Chance Mallory of Virginia, Tahaad Pettiford of Auburn, Jackson Shelstad of Louisville, Jordan Smith Jr. of Arkansas, Tyler Tanner of Vanderbilt, Dedan Thomas Jr. of Houston and Robert Wright III of BYU.
The women’s watch list features KK Arnold of UConn, Jasmine Bascoe of Villanova, Kennedy Blair of Michigan State, Zoe Brooks of NC State, Jaloni Cambridge of Ohio State, Aaliyah Chavez of Oklahoma, Jazzy Davidson of USC, Katie Fiso of Oregon, Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame, Mila Holloway of Michigan, Kymora Johnson of Virginia, Zamareya Jones of Louisville, Liv McGill of Oklahoma State, S'Mya Nichols of Kansas, Bryanna Preston of Texas, Britt Prince of Nebraska, Gal Raviv of Miami, Jada Williams of LSU, Jadyn Wooten of TCU and Chit-Chat Wright of Iowa.
Players can move on or off either list at any point during the 2026-27 season.
Fan voting opens Friday, October 30, and will be part of each of the three rounds of the process. The field will be cut to 10 in February and then to five in March.
The final five candidates will go before Cousy, Lieberman and the Hall of Fame’s selection committees in late March, when the winners will be chosen. Those committees include men’s and women’s college basketball personnel, along with media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers.
The winners will be announced on a to-be-determined date together with the four other members of the Men’s and Women’s Starting Five. The rest of the Starting Five honors include the Jerry West and Ann Meyers Drysdale Awards for shooting guard, the Julius Erving and Cheryl Miller Awards for small forward, the Karl Malone and Katrina McClain Awards for power forward, and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lisa Leslie Awards for center.
Recent Bob Cousy Award winners include Darius Acuff Jr. of Arkansas in 2026, Braden Smith of Purdue in 2025, Tristen Newton of Connecticut in 2024, Markquis Nowell of Kansas State in 2023, Ja Morant of Murray State in 2019, Jalen Brunson of Villanova in 2018, Trey Burke of Michigan in 2013, Kendall Marshall of North Carolina in 2012, Kemba Walker of Connecticut in 2011 and Jameer Nelson of Saint Joseph’s in 2004.
Recent Nancy Lieberman Award winners include Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame in 2026, Caitlin Clark of Iowa from 2022-24, Paige Bueckers of UConn in 2021 and 2025, Sabrina Ionescu of Oregon from 2018-20, Skylar Diggins of Notre Dame in 2012-13, Diana Taurasi of UConn in 2003-04 and Sue Bird of UConn from 2000-02.
In Other News...
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West Virginias offense has leaned heavily on a pair of stars through the bye week, and the numbers help explain why the unit has looked so dangerous at times. Quarterback Mike Hawkins Jr. has played at an elite level, while running back Cam Cook has been one of the most productive backs in the country, ranking third nationally in rushing yards. The rest of the offense has been a mixed bag by comparison, with the articles grades and snap counts showing a group that has delivered enough support to keep the Mountaineers moving, but not always with the same week-to-week consistency.
The stretch run will be about whether West Virginia can get more from the pieces around those two difference-makers. The bye week gives the staff a chance to reset, evaluate where the offense has been strong and where the weak spots have shown up, and then decide what changes might help as the season resumes. For a team with obvious firepower at quarterback and running back, the bigger question is whether the supporting cast can rise enough to keep the offense from becoming too dependent on Hawkins and Cook. [Read more 🡒]
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ESPNs FPI matchup predictor does not exactly make the road look inviting in the final four games, and the numbers reflect what the eye test already suggests about the challenges ahead. The good news for West Virginia is that the season is still sitting on a knifes edge, which means November can still push this group toward a strong finish. The bad news is that the margin for error shrinks quickly when the opposition gets this steep. [Read more 🡒]
West Virginia May Have A Star QB It Can't Take For Granted
Mike Hawkins Jr. has been one of the biggest reasons West Virginias offense has looked dangerous this fall. The Mountaineers quarterback is drawing national attention for production that goes well beyond the box score, sitting ninth among quarterbacks in PFF grades while piling up efficiency marks that separate the truly productive passers from the merely busy ones.
Hawkins has also given West Virginia a rare blend of explosiveness and restraint, leading the nation in rushing touchdowns while ranking near the top in yards per completion and adjusted yards per pass attempt. The deeper concern for the Mountaineers is how much of that growth has come from a quarterback who is making difficult throws, creating chunk plays and limiting mistakes despite a completion rate shaped by aggressive downfield attempts and a few too many drops around him. [Read more 🡒]