Villanova point guard Collin Gillespie was honored on Monday when he was named one of five finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation's top point guard.

Joining Gillespie as finalists are Baylor's Jared Butler, Gonzaga's Jalen Suggs, Illinois' Ayo Dosunmu, and Oklahoma State's Cade Cunningham.

“It’s a great individual honor but obviously that doesn’t happen without my teammates and my coaches," Gillespie said. "Those guys in practice every day pushing me, making me a better player. So, none of that happens without them and it’s really just a credit to my teammates.”

Head coach Jay Wright was a bit more effusive when talking about Gillespie's inclusion among the finalists. “I’m really happy for him and really proud of him," Wright said. "He basically came as a recruited walk-on. We told him we were gonna redshirt him his freshman year and he surprised us right away as soon as he stepped on campus. For him to develop into one of the top five point guards in the country is a real tribute to his work ethic, his talent and I think the grooming of Jalen Brunson. I think Jalen’s had a really big impact on Collin’s career.”

Gillespie is averaging 14.5 points, 4.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game this season. He's also only committing 1.5 turnovers per game despite a usage rate of 21.4%. His 3.19 assist to turnover ratio is second-best in the Big East. Gillespie is shooting 42.2% from the field, 37.4% from 3, and 85.5% from the free throw line.

Gillespie has been invaluable to the Wildcats and it's great to see him get some national recognition for his efforts.

The winner will be determined by a combination of fan voting and input from the Basketball Hall of Fame's selection committee. Fan voting goes live on February 26 at hoophallawards.com. Details regarding the date and time of the award's presentation, which will air on ESPN, will be released in the coming weeks.