A total of 14 team awards were handed out
TUCSON, Ariz. ?- Ivan Radenovic and Marcus Williams were named the Arizona men’s basketball co-most valuable players as part of the awards presented Monday night at the team’s annual awards banquet held at the Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa.
Radenovic, a 6-foot-10, 240-pound senior forward from Belgrade, Serbia, earned co-Most-Valuable-Player honors for the second straight season after averaging 15.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in 30 starts. Radenovic shoots a team-leading 51.2 percent (146-of-285) from the field and 86.9 percent (146-of-168) from the free throw line. He leads Arizona with four double-doubles this year and has scored in double figures 25 times. Radenovic was an honorable mention all-Pac-10 selection and a second-team all-District 15 selection by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
Williams, a 6-foot-7, 205-pound sophomore forward from Seattle, Wash., garnered co-MVP accolades after averaging 16.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists through 29 games played. He shoots 49.6 percent from the field (192-of-387) and averages of 1.1 steals per game. Williams has scored in double figures 25 times in 2006-07, including a team-leading 11 games with 20 or more points. Williams was an all-Pac-10 Conference selection as well as an all-district pick by both the NABC and United States Basketball Writers Association.
Mustafa Shakur earned the co-Captains award with Radenovic and claimed the Most Assists and Most Steals honors. Other players honored included Bret Brielmaier, Most Inspirational; Daniel Dillon, Best Defensive Player; Chase Budinger, Outstanding Freshman; Fendi Onobun, Academic Award; Jordan Hill, Most Improved; David Bagga and Nic Wise, Coaches Award.
The awards presented at the banquet were as follows:
Most Valuable Player: Ivan Radenovic, Marcus Williams
Captains Award: Ivan Radenovic, Mustafa Shakur
Best Defensive Player: Daniel Dillon
Most Improved: Jordan Hill
Coaches Award: David Bagga, Nic Wise
Wounded Warriors Award: Jawann McClellan, Mohamed Tangara, Kirk Walters
Most Inspirational: Bret Brielmaier
Academic Award: Fendi Onobun
Outstanding Seniors: Ivan Radenovic, Mustafa Shakur
Outstanding Freshman: Chase Budinger
Most Rebounds: Ivan Radenovic
Most Steals: Mustafa Shakur
Most Assists: Mustafa Shakur
Highest Free Throw Percentage: Ivan Radenovic
The Wildcats (20-10 overall, 11-7 Pac-10) are next in action on Friday, March 16, vs. Purdue in the first round of the NCAA Midwest Region in New Orleans, La. Arizona is making its 23rd consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, which is the longest active streak in the nation.
