MSU Hands Out Awards At Annual Basketball Bust
3/17/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 17, 2003
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State Men's Basketball Bust was held Monday evening (March 17) at the Holiday Inn South in Lansing, Mich. Sophomore guard Chris Hill (Indianapolis, Ind.) and sophomore forward Alan Anderson (Minneapolis, Minn.) were co-recipients of team MVP honors as voted on by the team. Hill also was voted team MVP by the media and named recipient of the Scholar-Athlete Award. Senior forward Aloysius Anagonye (Southfield, Mich.) and sophomore guard Kelvin Torbert (Flint, Mich.) also collected multiple awards.
Hill is Michigan State's leading scorer, averaging 14.0 points per game and ranks second in the Big Ten in made three-point field goals (2.71 pg). He had a career-high 34 points against Syracuse (2/23/03), which included 10 three-point field goals, a school and Big Ten record. For his efforts, Hill has been named second-team All-Big Ten, second-team NABC All-District 11 and Verizon Academic All-America Third Team with a 3.90 grade-point average. Hill is one of four Spartans to earn Academic All-America honors in MSU men's basketball history. He has drained 150 career three-point field goals, which ranks fourth on MSU's all-time three-point field goal list.
Anderson is an All-Big Ten honorable mention honoree by the league's media. He averages 9.7 points per game while dishing out 87 assists, second only to Hill in both categories. Anderson's outstanding three-throw percentage of .836 ranks fifth in the Big Ten. He has scored in double figures in eight of his last 11 games and tallied more than 100 rebounds for the second-consecutive season. Anderson scored a career-high 18 points twice this season and was a perfect 14-of-14 from the foul line in MSU's 66-55 victory over Ohio State (1/9/03).
Anagonye earned the Chairman of the Boards Award after leading the Spartans with 166 rebounds (5.4 rpg). Anagonye also collected the Antonio Smith Glue and Guts award for the third-consecutive season. Anagonye leads the Big Ten with a .618 field-goal percentage and ranks as the team leader with 20 blocked shots. He scored a career-high 21 points against Oklahoma State (11/30/02). Anagonye pulled down 12 rebounds against Minnesota (1/18/03), which also marked a career high. Anagonye has started 68 straight games.
Torbert earned the Most Improved Player Award along with the Best Defensive Player Award. Torbert increased his numbers in almost every offensive category this season. He is second on the team with 103 field goals. Torbert scored a career-high 22 points in the Spartans' 64-51 win over Northwestern (2/15/03). He grabbed 121 rebounds, giving him over 100 rebounds for the second-straight year. Torbert is also one of the Big Ten's top defenders.
Junior center Jason Andreas (Sugarcreek, Ohio) and junior forward Adam Wolfe (Westerville, Ohio) also received awards. Wolfe earned the Inspirational Player Award after making a courageous comeback from a season-ending hamstring injury suffered in January 2002 at Penn State. Wolfe announced he would forgo his final season of eligibility and graduate in May with a degree in telecommunication. Andreas, winner of the Unsung Player Award, continues to a play a key role in the Spartans' success. Andreas pulled down a career-high seven rebounds in a 72-58 victory at Ohio State (3/8/03).
The winner of this year's Distinguished Alumnus Award is Lance Olson. The Green Bay, Wis., native was a member of the Spartan basketball team from 1956-1960. Olson served as a team captain and was a part of two Big Ten Championship squads and the 1957 Final Four team. In 1969, he was a member of the first class of the MSU College of Human Medicine. After his time at Michigan State, Olson went on to accomplish great things in the medical profession. He earned a fellowship to the Harvard Medical School and became one of the premier eye surgeons in the nation.
2003 Michigan State Basketball Bust Awards
Scholar-Athlete Award: Chris Hill
Unsung Player Award: Jason Andreas
Most Improved Player: Kelvin Torbert
Inspirational Player Award: Adam Wolfe
Best Defensive Player Award: Kelvin Torbert
Antonio Smith Glue and Guts Award: Aloysius Anagonye
Chairman of the Board Award: Aloysius Anagonye
MVP (Media): Chris Hill
MVP (Team): Chris Hill and Alan Anderson
Distinguished Alumnus Award: Lance Olson
