Gonzaga Nation

Despite record-setting season, Gonzaga's Ryan Nembhard snubbed as top point guard finalist

Nembhard leads college basketball in assists by a wide margin

Cole Forsman

Gonzaga senior guard Ryan Nembhard.
Gonzaga senior guard Ryan Nembhard. / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford
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The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame revealed the five finalists in contention for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award this week — and somehow the country's leader in assists was not on the list.

Gonzaga senior guard Ryan Nembhard, who averaged a double-double and broke program and conference single-season assist records during the regular season, was inexplicably not among the five point guards who will be recognized for their efforts at the Final Four in San Antonio this April. Instead, the Cousy Award will go to one of Alabama’s Mark Sears, Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr., Marquette’s Kam Jones, Purdue’s Braden Smith or Tennessee’s Zakai Zeigler.

Nembhard's snub comes days after he dished out 16 assists in the Zags' 95-75 win over San Francisco on Saturday, which followed a 15-assist night against Santa Clara earlier in the week. It marked the first time a player recorded 15 or more assists in back-to-back games against Division-I opponents since 2011. It was also the first time a player had two 15-assist games against the same opponent in a single season in 22 years (Nembhard had 15 assists in the Broncos' win over the Bulldogs in Spokane on Jan. 18).

During that victory over the Dons at the Chase Center, Nembhard brought his season total up to 311 assists, which is the 13th-most by a player in a single season in NCAA Division-I history. At his current rate of 10.0 assists per game, which is the tenth-highest assist average in NCAA history, Nembhard will approach the top-five range by the time the Zags are suiting up for the NCAA Tournament.

Yet despite smashing Gonzaga's single-season assist record — the same one he broke last year — and setting the West Coast Conference's single-season assist record, Nembhard's case as one of the best playmakers in the sport evidently fell on deaf ears down the stretch of the regular season. Nembhard was named to the Cousy top 10 watchlist back on Feb. 3. Over the final eight games of the regular season since that list was revealed, Nembhard finished with double-digit assists four times, including an 18-point, 13-assist night at home against San Francisco, and had three double-doubles while helping guide the Bulldogs (23-8, 14-4 WCC) to the No. 2 seed in the WCC Tournament.

Reaction to Nembhard's snub

From Nembhard's Gonzaga teammate Braeden Smith to ESPN broadcaster Roxy Bernstein, here's a look at the reaction to Nembhard's snub from fans, players and media members.

"Ryan having one of the best passing seasons in the history of this sport and not being recognized does not make any sense," Smith wrote on X.

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Cole Forsman
COLE FORSMAN

Cole Forsman is a reporter for Gonzaga Bulldogs On SI. Cole holds a degree in Journalism and Sports Management from Gonzaga University.

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