MBB Banquet - Award Winners

[Brad]

Courtesy USF SID

USF MEN’S BASKETBALL

BULLS ANNOUNCE TEAM AWARD WINNERS AT ANNUAL BANQUET

Gransberry claims MVP honors, Mattis top defensive player

Tampa, Fla. (April 29, 2007) – The University of South Florida men’s basketball team announced its team award winners for the 2006-07 campaign at the program’s annual banquet, hosted by the Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club Sunday evening.

Junior center Kentrell Gransberry and senior McHugh Mattis each made three trips to the podium to collect hardware and four other teammates were also honored during the night’s festivities.

Gransberry, an All-BIG EAST Second Team member, was named USF’s Most Valuable Player after finishing among the league leaders in five categories and posting season averages of 15.6 points and 11.4 rebounds per game.  He finished third in the nation in rebounding and was the first Bull to lead the league in that category since 1992.

The Baton Rouge, La., native also earned the Chairman of the Boards Award the Wittcoff Family Endowed Scholarship.  

Mattis, who finished among the nation’s best in blocked shots, was tabbed USF’s Defensive Player of the Year as well as the program’s Most Improved Player.  He set the team’s single-season record for blocked shots (109), swatting an average of 3.6 opposing shot attempts per outing.  All of his statistical numbers improved from his junior campaign and he was rewarded with All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention accolades.

Mattis also earned the Richard K. & Roslyn K. Wittcoff Endowed Scholarship.  The endowments the Wittcoff’s have provided will permanently represent the University’s competitive spirit and commitment to excellence in NCAA Division I basketball.

Solomon Bozeman claimed the Free Throw Award as the squad’s top performer from the charity stripe.  He converted on 88.4 percent (130-of-147) of his free throw opportunities to rank 16th in the nation and second in the BIG EAST in that category.

Senior Chris Capko captured the Academic Award.  Capko graduated last semester with a degree in mass communications and a cumulative USF grade-point-average of 3.22.  A transfer from Florida, Capko owns a career grade-point-average of 3.28 and is a two-time BIG EAST Academic All-Star.

Redshirt freshman Chris Howard garnered the Bill Jones Scholarship Award, given to the player that best exemplifies the qualities of Bill Jones.  Jones was a donor and a season ticket holder for men’s basketball who lost a courageous battle with cancer.   His qualities included leadership, determination, a fighting spirit, courage and passion.

Freshman Amu Saaka received the Bull Pride Award, which recognizes the player who best exemplifies the responsibilities associated with being a student-athlete at USF, both on and off the court.

2006-07 USF Men’s Baseketball Award Winners

John & Cynthia Ruzic Most Valuable Player – Kentrell Gransberry

Defensive Player of the Year – McHugh Mattis

Chairman of the Boards – Kentrell Gransberry

Most Improved Player – McHugh Mattis

Free Throw Award – Solomon Bozeman

Bull Pride Award – Amu Saaka

Academic Award – Chris Capko

Bill Jones Scholarship Award – Chris Howard

Wittcoff Endowed Scholarship – McHugh Mattis

Wittcoff Family Endowed Scholarship – Kentrell Gransberry

[aragingbull]

Attended the banquet and was very impressed with the way the evening went considring the old/new transitional issue with the head coach...

Nice highlight film was showed and it seems the players are taking well to Coach Heath...It's sometimes tough to transition under these circumstances but we saw only smiles on their faces...

Woolard and Heath feel this is a new beginning and made comments like "now it's time to match successes with football". That was nice to hear!