Men’s Basketball Columns
Character leads all other attributes for Ogwumike and Hummel
LOWES SENIOR CLASS WINNERS/BASKETBALL
By KIRK WESSLER
Of the four C’s at the heart of the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, one serves as the foundation for the rest. Character underpins everything. Almost by definition, individuals of high Character perform well in the Classroom and in athletic Competition, and are inclined to Community service.
“It would be much more difficult…
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Belmont’s Mick Hedgepeth uses what he loves - basketball - to teach kids about faith and life
Unless the Belmont University basketball team takes a spin as Cinderella in the 2012 NCAA Tournament – and nobody connected to the Bruins is ready to cross that off their to-do list – the likelihood of a Mick Hedgepeth’s name rolling off the tongues of college basketball fans isn’t very likely.
That suits the 6-foot-9 senior just fine and seems to fit with his personality and what he has accomplished in four seasons on and off the court.
Hedgepeth is one of 10…
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From start to finish, winners in 2011-12 distinguished themselves on and off the field
The first Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award honoree—North Carolina’s Ali Hawkins—was named in December. A Phi Beta Kappa member, she co-founded a program promoting athletes’ involvement in local, national and international social causes. On the soccer field, she helped Carolina to three women’s national championships.
Virginia’s Tyler Wilson completed the honor roll in June. He holds a degree in biology, and plans to become an orthopedic surgeon when he finishes…
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Fredette, Moore accomplish what few others can because they were seniors
Maya Moore led Connecticut to 150 victories and two NCAA women’s basketball championships. Jimmer Fredette led Brigham Young to 114 victories, four NCAA bids and the school’s first Sweet 16 appearance in 30 years.
Two players, 264 victories.
When it comes to intercollegiate competition, only seniors have a chance to pile up numbers like those. And few who have the chance are able to achieve such a level of team success, but when they do, other accolades aren’t far behind.
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Tyrel Reed: A Kansan at Kansas is about as good as it gets
Tyrel Reed is the essence of Kansas basketball.
Not just the university, where he’s a starting guard for the highly ranked Jayhawks, but of a state that loves its college basketball. When a small community product becomes an important component of a championship-level squad as a senior while excelling in the classroom, well, that’s about as Kansan as it gets.
Coach Bill Self appreciates the story, but his reliance on Reed isn’t based on any sense of duty to the home state.
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Circle of success helps make Malcolm Delaney a winner
Talk to Virginia Tech guard Malcolm Delaney for just a few minutes and it becomes obvious he’s not just another tough guy on the basketball court. There’s much more to him than that.
Delaney is all business, without any frills. You might say he conducts his life like a CEO, running a corporation built for success. And even though he often feels overlooked as a player, Delaney has always known what he wants, and how to get there.
Maybe that’s why he has a reputation as the most…
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Finishing what you start reaps rewards beyond playing days
As the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award enters into its 10th year of being a nationally recognized award, its prestige has increasingly grown among the college athletics landscape. An award that was originally formed to honor the loyalty of men’s and women’s basketball players is now presented across 10 different sports and continues to expand. Unlike many other accolades that merely recognize athletic performance, this award stands alone. It identifies characteristics in student-athletes…
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2009-10 saw record nominations, record voting and unrivaled winners
The 2009-10 academic season was a milestone year for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. There were record numbers of nominees and fan voting for several sports, which produced 90 finalists who excelled in all four categories of the award criteria – community, classroom, character and competition. On the field, the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award winners boasted a collective 226-72-7 overall record; their accomplishments off the field are just as impressive. The winners selected from this stellar group…
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Butler, Griffin find homes away from home during standout basketball careers
Da’Sean Butler left his home in New Jersey to become a West Virginia Mountaineer. Kelsey Griffin journeyed far from Alaska when she decided to attend Nebraska. They both found perfect locations to excel as basketball players and to continue their educations, but they really found much more than that.
Griffin and Butler found new places to call home.
Put together all the pieces and it’s easy to understand why Butler and Griffin were voted the men’s and women’s basketball winners…
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Gonzaga’s Bouldin defies his very own celebrity status, engaging children throughout Spokane
How CLASSy is Matt Bouldin?
In this day and age, what 21-year-old guy, about to embark on his senior season of college basketball, the undisputed leader of the team at an elite-level program and an All-America candidate, wouldn’t be tempted to milk being connected to a contemporary major celebrity for all it’s worth if the opportunity presented itself?
Gonzaga guard and CLASS finalist Matt Bouldin.
One day last September the word suddenly was… Continue Reading
