University of Massachusets Athletics
Shannon Crooks Earns Team MVP Honor
April 28, 2002 | Men's Basketball
April 28, 2002
AMHERST, Mass. -- University of Massachusetts senior guard Shannon Crooks (Boston, Mass.) received the George "Trigger" Burke Most Valuable Player Award at the team's season-ending banquet tonight at the Log Cabin in Holyoke, Mass.
Crooks, who led the 2001-02 Minutemen in scoring (14.6 ppg), assists (116), steals (37) and minutes played (1,017) was the only UMass player to start all 29 games during the squad's 13-16 campaign. Only the fourth player in school history to finish his career with 1,000 points (he had 1,074 points, good for 28th place on the school's all-time scoring list) and 300 assists (he dished out 310 in his three-year career, which stands as the 10th-best effort in school history), Crooks also received the team's Julius Erving Scoring Award and the Rick Pitino Assist Award after leading the club in both categories last season.
Senior forward Eric Williams (Brooklyn, N.Y.) picked up a pair of awards, as he was honored with the team's Skip Connors Academic Award and the Jim Laughnane Free Throw Shooting Award after hitting a team-best 78.1 percent at the foul line. Two other seniors, Kitwana Rhymer (St. Thomas, Virgin Islands) and Ronell Blizzard (Waterbury, Conn.) were also honored. Rhymer picked up the Lou Roe Rebounding Award after posting a team-high 6.0 average, while Blizzard received the John Murphy Inspiration Award.
Junior Micah Brand (Middletown, N.Y.) earned the Alex Eldridge Coaches Award after ranking second on the team in rebounding (5.7 rpg) and third in scoring (9.3 ppg).
Sophomore Anthony Anderson (Lynn, Mass.), the 2002 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, earned the Mark Donoghue Most Productive Player Award. He led the team in three-point goals made (71), attempted (117) and percentage (.419), while ranking second on the squad in minutes (985), assists (100), steals (31) and scoring (10.0 ppg).
Another sophomore, Raheim Lamb (Boston, Mass.), earned the Jack Leaman Award as the team's top defensive player. Walk-on sophomore Paco Kotaridis (Athens, Greece) took home the Derrick Claiborne Mr. Hustle Award, while freshmen Brennan Martin (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) and Kyle Wilson (White Rock, British Columbia) earned the Jim McCoy Most Improved Player and Rafer Giles Sixth Man awards, respectively,
Coach Steve Lappas' Minutemen, who open the 2002-03 season in the prestigious Maui Classic, will return seven letterwinners, including three starters, from the 2001-02 squad.
