University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA men's basketball (photo by Don Liebig)
Photo by: UCLA Athletics
UCLA Distributes Year-End Awards at Banquet
April 24, 2017 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – The UCLA men's basketball program hosted its annual year-end banquet at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Monday evening, with freshman Lonzo Ball earning the Coach John Wooden Award as the team's Most Valuable Player.
Ball, a 6-foot-6 freshman from Chino Hills, Calif., was also the recipient of the UCLA Alumni Association Award as the team's assist leader. Ball dished a nation-best 274 assists, setting the school's single-season record. He averaged 14.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game as one of five finalists for the 2017 John R. Wooden Award, annually presented to the nation's top college basketball player.
Bryce Alford was honored with the J.D. Morgan Memorial Award, presented by the Bruin Hoopsters to the outstanding "team" player. Alford (15.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.6 apg) concluded his senior season having made a school single-season record 116 three-pointers while shooting 43.0 percent from three-point range, the second-highest percentage in the Pac-12.
Thomas Welsh captured the Bob "Ace" Calkins Memorial Award as the team's top free throw shooter. Welsh, a 7-foot junior from nearby Redondo Beach, Calif., made 42 of 47 free throws (89.4 percent). He made 44 consecutive free throws between the end of 2015-16 and the first half of the 2016-17 season, setting a school record previously set by Darren Collison in 2009 (Collison had made 43 straight free throws).
Welsh was also honored with the Irv Pohlmeyer Memorial Trophy, highlighting UCLA's top defensive player. Welsh has led UCLA in blocked shots each of the past three seasons (2015, 2016 and 2017), having registered 43 blocks in 32 games (1.3 bpg) during the 2016-17 season. He has now accumulated 114 career blocks, a total that ranks fifth on UCLA's career blocked shots list.
TJ Leaf secured the Seymour Armond Memorial Award as the team's Most Valuable Freshman. Leaf was one of just three players in the Pac-12 (along with Stanford's Reid Travis and Utah's Kyle Kuzma) to rank among the top 10 in scoring and rebounding. Leaf averaged 16.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game and ranked second in the Pac-12 in overall field goal percentage (61.7%).
In addition, Leaf was honored as the team's overall field goal percentage leader. The 6-foot-10 forward from El Cajon, Calif., became UCLA's first player since Bill Walton in 1973-74 to have shot at least 60 percent from the field while making 200 or more field goals. Since 1974, UCLA has seen 34 players make at least 200 shots in a season but haven't shot at least 60 percent.
Welsh and Leaf were each honored with the Gerald A. Finerman Award, annually distributed to the team's top rebounders. Welsh averaged a team-leading 8.7 rebounds per game, the seventh-highest average in the Pac-12. Leaf grabbed a team-best 287 total rebounds (8.2 rpg) as a freshman, ranking ninth in the conference in rebounds per game.
Isaac Hamilton captured the Elvin C. "Ducky" Drake Memorial Award, honoring the player who best displays competitive spirit, inspiration and unselfish contributions. A key player for UCLA the past three seasons, Hamilton averaged 14.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game as a senior. Hamilton started in each of UCLA's 104 games the past three seasons and now ranks No. 25 on the school's all-time scoring list.
Aaron Holiday was honored as the Bruins' "Most Improved Player," having averaged 12.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in all 36 games. The 6-foot-1 sophomore from nearby Chatsworth, Calif., was particularly effective off the bench in 2016-17, scoring in double figures in 24 contests while logging at least 20 points in three games.
Jerrold Smith was the recipient of this year's UCLA Faculty Athletic Representative Award, honoring academic achievement. Smith, a 6-foot senior guard from Los Angeles, played in 21 games during his three-year career and is on track to graduate this June with his undergraduate degree in political science.
UCLA posted a 31-5 overall record, including a 15-3 mark in Pac-12 play. The Bruins advanced to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 3 seed, defeating No. 14-seed Kent State and No. 6-seed Cincinnati in the first and second rounds, respectively, before falling to No. 2-seed Kentucky in the Sweet 16.
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