GOSHEN, Ind. –As part of the annual Men’s Basketball Awards Banquet this weekend, Head Coach Gary Chupp announced the 2007-08 Maple Leaf team awards.
Players, coaches, and families all gathered for a meal before the awards were announced and the night ended with a 30-minute highlight video of the season.
In addition to the awards, Coach Chupp had a few words to say about the season and the team. “Coming into the year, every coach in the conference picked us to finish dead last. We beat four nationally ranked teams and going into the last week of the season we had nineteen wins and were in a four-way tie for fourth. While things didn’t work out exactly how we would have liked, the great part about these guys is that they weren’t and continue not to be satisfied with just exceeding expectations.”
As for the individual awards, here is a list of the awards handed out and the recipients of those honors. The conference awards were voted on by the MCC coaches, while team awards were done by a player vote.
Most Valuable Player: Errick McCollum II
The 6’1” sophomore from Canton, Ohio (Canton GlenOak H.S.) led the Maple Leafs with 23.6 points a game, which ranked fifth in the nation and led the MCC. McCollum was also second on the team with six rebounds a night. “The great thing is that he still has a long way to go,” said Chupp. “I have no doubt that by the time he is finished he will be a First-Team All American and Player of the Year candidate.” As a sophomore this year, McCollum was named First-Team All MCC and NAIA All American Honorable Mention.
Coaches Appreciation Award: Brice Hartman
The lone senior on the 2007-08 Goshen squad, the 6’6” forward averaged 16.6 points and 4.6 rebounds a game while being named to the MCC Third-Team. A Elkhart native (Elkhart Central H.S.), Hartman single-handedly willed the Maple Leafs to wins, including scoring 16 points in the final seven-plus minutes of regulation to lead Goshen to an overtime win over Marian. “I knew when I got this job, that if we were going to be successful, Hartman would need to buy in,” explained Chupp. “As the only senior, with a coaching change going into his final season, he had every right not to. We sized each other up at the beginning, but he chose to buy in and has been a huge part of our success as a team.”
Defensive Player of the Year: Nate West Jr.
A 6’4” sophomore forward, West led the Maple Leafs wit 6.7 rebounds a game. The Canton, Ohio native (Canton GlenOak H.S.) was also second on the team in steals (1.3), assists (2.4), third in scoring (10.3) and fourth in blocks (0.4). “The thing that made Nate so good was his versatility,” explained Chupp. “He could guard the best point guards in the conference, any shooting guard or even power forwards.”
Most improved: Scott Bruggeman
A freshman point guard from Portland, Indiana, Bruggeman finished the season ranked in the top ten in the NAIA in assist/ turnover ratio (2.74). “In preseason workouts, Scott really was struggling. He really worked and became an important part of our team. It is amazing to see how reliable he became and his assist/ turnover shows that.”
Play Hard Award (Hardest Practice Player): Bryce Bow
A junior from Mincie, Ind., Bow was named a Daktronics-NAIA All American Scholar-Athlete earlier this month. Coming off the bench to spell McCollum at the shooting guard position, Bow’s minutes were limited, but he played effectively in each of the Maple Leafs 31 games in 2007-08. “His role was hard and frustrating I am sure,” said Chupp. “Bow comes in early and leaves late to improve himself, but he has a huge impact on his teammates’ improvement as well by his work ethic.”
|
|
