greasywheels121 Posted April 1, 2005 Share Posted April 1, 2005 http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BKC...&SECTION=SPORTS Utah's Bogut selected AP player of year By JIM O'CONNELL AP Basketball Writer ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Utah sophomore Andrew Bogut, who emerged from obscurity to national dominance in a single season, capped his college basketball career with The Associated Press national player of the year award Friday. The 7-foot Australian led the Utes to the Mountain West Conference regular-season title and the third round of the NCAA tournament. He announced Monday that he would forgo his last two years of school and enter the NBA draft this summer, when he is projected as a lottery pick and possibly the first player chosen overall. Bogut didn't even get honorable mention in preseason All-America balloting but went on to lead NCAA Division I with 26 double-doubles. He missed a double-double in only nine games this season and accomplished it 40 times in his Utah career. He was second in the nation in rebounding at 12.2 a game, fourth in field-goal shooting at 62.0 percent and 15th in scoring at 20.4. He also averaged 2.3 assists while playing 35 minutes a game. He received 31 votes from the 72-member national media panel that selects the AP's weekly Top 25. J.J. Redick of Duke was second with 15 votes, and Wayne Simien of Kansas was third with nine. Bogut is the first player from Utah to win the award, and the first from the West since Arizona's Sean Elliott in 1989. The Utes finished 29-6 this season, losing 62-52 to Kentucky in the regional semifinals. Bogut ended his career at Utah with 1,126 points and 753 rebounds, just the third player in school history to score 1,000 points in only two seasons. He was a starter on Australia's Olympic team last summer and averaged 14.8 points and 8.8 rebounds. Jameer Nelson of Saint Joseph's was player of the year last season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greasywheels121 Posted April 1, 2005 Author Share Posted April 1, 2005 http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BKC...EMPLATE=DEFAULT Illinois' Weber chosen AP coach of year By JIM O'CONNELL AP Basketball Writer ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Bruce Weber, who led Illinois to its winningest season, was an overwhelming choice Friday as The Associated Press national coach of the year. It was just the latest reward for a spectacular season for Weber, in only his second year at Champaign. The Illini (36-1), who play Louisville in the national semifinals Saturday, were ranked No. 1 the final 15 weeks of the season, and were unanimous six times. Only two other Illinois teams, in 1953 and 1989, were ever ranked No. 1, and both also reached the Final Four, but neither lasted on top more than a week during the season. Weber received 54 votes from the 72-member national media panel that selects the weekly AP Top 25. Mike Krzyzewski of Duke received six votes, while Al Skinner of Boston College had five and Lorenzo Romar of Washington had four. Weber succeeded Bill Self at Illinois two years ago and led the Illini to their first outright Big Ten title in 52 years in his first season. Weber coached Southern Illinois for five seasons, compiling a 103-54 record and leading the Salukis to the NCAA tournament twice, before the Illinois job opened when Self moved to Kansas. Weber was an assistant for 18 seasons to Purdue's Gene Keady, the coach of the year in 1996. Weber's 81-year-old mother, Dawn, died suddenly the day the Illini beat Northwestern in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament. He didn't miss a game as Illinois went on to win the conference title and then won four games as the NCAA tournament's overall No. 1 seed. The Illini reached the Final Four with a memorable 90-89 overtime victory over Arizona, a game in which they trailed by 15 with 4 minutes left in regulation. Weber is the first Illinois coach to win the award and the first from the Big Ten since Tom Izzo of Michigan State in 1998. Izzo's Spartans also reached the Final Four this season, setting up the possibility of an all-Big Ten national championship game. Phil Martelli of Saint Joseph's won the award last season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldmember Posted April 1, 2005 Share Posted April 1, 2005 coach deserved it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IlliniKrush Posted April 1, 2005 Share Posted April 1, 2005 BRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCE He is gonna have to have a new room built in his house for all these awards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AddisonStSox Posted April 1, 2005 Share Posted April 1, 2005 Can't argue one lick with either of those decisions. I Coach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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