WESTWOOD—UCLA basketball player Kyle Anderson was selected by the Basketball Hall of Fame to the Bob Cousy Award Watch List on Tuesday, October 22.

The 6-foot-9 Bruin sophomore was one of 46 point guards chosen to represent the 2013-2014 Bob Cousy Award Watch List, the UCLA Athletics press release stated. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame presents the Bob Cousy Award annually to the nation’s best point guard in men’s college basketball.

The award, named after Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtics point guard Bob Cousy, “promotes the values of leadership, determination, and teamwork, all skills needed not only on the hardwood but also in life,” as stated by Ken Kaufman, Chair of the Bob Cousy Award on the Basketball Hall of Fame’s website.

The Watch List will be reduced to 20 candidates in early February, and the final five will be announced in early March. The Cousy Award is then bestowed upon the selected winner on Championship Monday (April 7) at the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2014 Announcement and Press Conference in Dallas.

Anderson earned the honor by averaging 9.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists as a freshman during the 2012-2013 seasons. He was the only Pac-12 Conference player to place in the top 10 for rebounds and assists per game and holds the third highest rebound average for a freshman in UCLA program history with a total of 302 rebounds.

Anderson also had the eighth most double-doubles in the Pac-12 and the most among Pac-12 freshmen. His impressive stats secured him one of five positions on the All-Pac-12 Freshman Team and a prospect profile with the NBA draft.

A press release on the upcoming 2013-2014 season by UCLA Athletics, describesAnderson as one of the conference’s most versatile player and one of UCLA’s most pivotal back court weapons.

“Kyle can play any of four positions, and we’ll rely on him to play any of the three guard positions,” Coach Steve Alford stated in the release. “He’s one of our best rebounders” He has a tremendous feel for the game, and there will be a lot of versatility in how we use Kyle.”