University of Massachusets Athletics
Jackie Rogers Earns Team MVP Honor
April 13, 2003 | Men's Basketball
April 13, 2003
Amherst, Mass. -- University of Massachusetts senior forward and co-captain Jackie Rogers (Syracuse, N.Y.) received the George "Trigger" Burke Most Valuable Player Award at the team's season-ending banquet tonight at the Log Cabin in Holyoke, Mass.
Rogers, who led the 2002-03 Minutemen in scoring (12.9 ppg), rebounding (5.5 rpg) and field goal percentage (.599), also received the team's Lou Rebounding Award and the Julius Erving Scoring Award. He was the ninth player in school history to lead the team in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage in the same season, and his 59.9 percent effort from the field led the Atlantic 10 Conference.
UMass' other senior, center Micah Brand (Middletown, N.Y.), received the team's John Murphy Inspirational Award. Brand, who averaged 7.6 ppg and 4.1 rpg, finished his career with 837 points (49th on the school's all-time list) and 90 blocked shots (10th).
Sophomore guard Anthony Anderson (Lynn, Mass.), the 2002 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, received the squad's Jim Laughnane Free Throw Shooting Award and the Rick Pitino Most Assists Award. He shot a team-high 75.7 percent from the free throw line, and dished out a team-leading 107 assists. Anderson was UMass' second-leading scorer (11.8 ppg) and rebounder (4.3 rpg), and also led the squad in three-point field goals made (74), attempted (189) and percentage (.392).
Freshman forward Jeff Viggiano (Suffield, Conn.) earned the team's Jim McCoy Most Improved Player Award and Mark Donoghue Most Productive Award. He started each of UMass' final 21 games as a rookie, and averaged 7.0 ppg and 2.9 rpg, while ranking second on the team in both steals (27) and blocked shots (21).
Another freshman, Gabe Lee (Camilla, Ga.), received the Jack Leaman Award as the team's top defensive player after recording a squad-best 46 blocked shots as a rookie. Junior walk-on Paco Kotaridis (Athens, Greece) took home the Derrick Claiborne Mr. Hustle Award for the second consecutive year, while junior Marcus Cox (Bridgeport, Conn.) was the Rafer Giles Sixth Man Award winner and freshman Alassane Kouyate (Bamako, Mali) received the Skip Connors Academic honor. Sophomore Brennan Martin (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) earned the Alex Eldridge Coaches Appreciation Award.
In addition, former ticket manager Wally Novak received the Court Club's Milt Cole Award for contributions to the Minuteman basketball program.