UConn's Silas Demary Jr. Could Win Major Award
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The UConn Huskies men's basketball junior guard Silas Demary Jr. has been named to the Preseason Watch List for the 2026 Bob Cousy Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced. The honor recognizes the nation's top point guard and places Demary among 20 elite floor generals across Division I men's college basketball.
The Cousy Award, established in 2004 and named after Boston Celtics legend and Class of 1971 Hall of Famer Bob Cousy, is given to the best point guard of the year. The award is part of the Naismith Starting Five positional honors, which include the Jerry West Award (shooting guard), Julius Erving Award (small forward), Karl Malone Award (power forward) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (center).
Silas kicking off watch list szn 🔥@hoophallu pic.twitter.com/8oEM9CKeez
— UConn Men's Basketball (@UConnMBB) October 27, 2025
Silas Demary Jr.’s Debut Season at UConn
The recognition comes ahead of Demary's first season at Connecticut after spending two years at Georgia. The 6-foot-5, 195-pound guard from Raleigh, North Carolina, was an SEC All-Freshman Team selection in 2024 and has established himself as one of the most versatile guards in the transfer portal.
Demary logged 70 games for the Bulldogs from 2023-25, appearing in every game both seasons and starting all but one. He averaged 11.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game over his Georgia career while shooting 35.3 percent from three-point range and 75.4 percent from the free-throw line.
As a sophomore in 2024-25, Demary showed major improvements, averaging 13.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game for a Georgia squad that reached the NCAA Tournament. He posted several standout performances, including a 26-point, four-rebound outing against Tennessee on March 1 and a 24-point, three-rebound, three-assist performance in the SEC Tournament against Vanderbilt on March 12.
"Silas is the type of big guard we love at UConn and we can't wait to get him in the mix," UConn head coach Dan Hurley said when Demary committed in April. "He can score from all three levels, play-make and use his length to guard multiple positions. Silas comes from a great family and will fit our championship culture to a tee".
Demary joins an impressive field of candidates for the 2026 Cousy Award. He is competing with Purdue's Braden Smith, the 2025 winner looking to become the first back-to-back recipient in the award's history, and Kansas freshman sensation Darryn Peterson, who has drawn national attention with his preseason performances.
Names on the Naismith Starting Five Honors Watchlist
Other names on the watch list include Labaron Philon (Alabama), Darius Acuff (Arkansas), Tahaad Pettiford (Auburn), Robert Wright III (BYU), Boogie Fland (Florida), Milos Uzan (Houston), Bennett Stirtz (Iowa), Tamin Lipsey (Iowa State), Jaland Lowe (Kentucky), Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville), Elliot Cadeau (North Carolina), Josh Hubbard (Mississippi State), Markus Burton (Notre Dame), Bruce Thornton (Ohio State), Ja'Kobi Gillespie (Tennessee), Christian Anderson (Texas Tech) and Donovan Dent (UCLA) have also been nominated for the award.
Demary is seeking to become the fourth Huskie all-time to win a Naismith Starting Five honor at the point guard position. UConn has produced three previous Cousy Award winners: Kemba Walker (2011), Shabazz Napier (2014), and, most recently, Tristen Newton (2024), who helped UConn secure back-to-back championships. All three led the program to a National Championship.
Fan voting for the 2026 Cousy Award opens on October 31, with the list narrowing to 10 players in late January and five finalists in late February. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Bob Cousy, Nancy Lieberman, and the Hall of Fame's selection committees for final consideration.
Demary's inclusion on the watch list adds to an already impressive collection of preseason accolades for the Huskies. He was recently named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team, joining teammates Solo Ball, Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed Jr. on the Preseason First Team.
Nishant is a sports writer with over four years of experience covering major leagues such as the NBA, NFL, and soccer. He has bylines in several reputable digital media platforms, including Sportskeeda, Athlon Sports, Pro Football & Sports Network, and PinkVilla. He's known for delivering insightful and engaging coverage on everything, turning game-day grit into punchy storytelling.