It’s not been that long since UVA fans were questioning Tony Bennett over the minutes he was giving Kihei Clark.
Now Clark is back among the 20 players on the watch list for the 2021 Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the list on Monday.
Clark, who had also been named to last season’s Cousy Award watch list, guided the Cavaliers to a 23-7 overall record and 15-5 second-place finish in the ACC in 2019-202, averaging 10.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and team-leading 5.9 assists.
The 5’9” junior earned All-ACC third-team honors last season after finishing first in the league in minutes (37.1), second in free throw percentage (87.6), third in assists (5.9) and ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.7).
He was at his best down the stretch. Clark, who had averaged 9.8 points per game on 34.8 percent shooting from the field and 36.1 percent shooting from three-point range as the defending champs limped to a 12-6 start, averaged 12.3 points on 41.2 percent shooting from the floor and 40.0 percent from three to key the 11-1 finish.
Back two years ago, Clark helped Virginia to its first NCAA title as a freshman in 2018-2019, averaging 4.5 points and 2.6 assists in 38 games, including 20 starts.
Clark averaged 6.3 points and 4.0 assists during the Cavaliers’ NCAA Tournament run.
Story by Chris Graham
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