UCLA hosted its annual team banquet on Monday evening (photo by Don Liebig)
Courtesy: UCLA Athletics
LOS ANGELES - The UCLA men’s basketball program hosted its annual year-end banquet at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Monday evening, with sophomore Kyle Anderson earning the Coach John Wooden Award as the team’s Most Valuable Player.
Anderson, a 6-foot-9 guard from Fairview, N.J., was also the recipient of the Gerald A. Finerman Award as the team’s rebounding leader and the UCLA Alumni Association Award as the Bruins’ leader in assists. Anderson, a third-team Associated Press All-America selection, finished his sophomore season averaging 14.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game.
Jordan Adams was honored with the J.D. Morgan Memorial Award, presented by the Bruin Hoopsters to the outstanding “team” player. Adams was also the recipient of the Bob “Ace” Calkins Memorial Trophy as the team’s top free throw shooter. The sophomore guard from Atlanta led UCLA with 17.4 points per game and was the team’s leader in free throws (83.6 percent), connecting on 158 of 189 shots.
Norman Powell and Tony Parker were recipients of the Bruin Bench Award, an honor presented to the player or players who show the most improvement in their all-around play and mental attitude. Both Powell (11.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg) and Parker (6.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg) showed substantial increases in their production and field goal percentages in 2013-14.
Aubrey Williams, a 5-foot-8 guard from Palmdale, Calif., earned the UCLA Faculty Athletic Representative Award, presented for academic achievement and team contribution. Williams joined the Bruins as walk-on player in the summer of 2012, played in 11 games as a senior this season and is on track to graduate from UCLA this summer.
Travis Wear was honored with the Elvin C. Ducky Drake Memorial Award, presented to the team member who exhibits tremendous competitive spirit, inspiration and unselfish contributions. Wear, a 6-foot-10 senior from Huntington Beach, Calif., averaged 7.2 points and 3.2 rebounds while logging a 53.0 field goal percentage this season.
Powell and David Wear were each honored with the Irv Pohlmeyer Memorial Trophy, highlighting the team’s top defensive players. Powell was regularly assigned to guard the opposing team’s top scorer. Wear, a 6-foot-10 senior from Huntington Beach, Calif., averaged 6.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game and compiled 23 steals in all 37 games.
Bryce Alford and Zach LaVine both earned the Seymour Armond Memorial Award, honoring the nation’s most valuable freshmen. Alford averaged 8.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game as the Pac-12’s only player to record at least 100 assists and fewer than 50 turnovers.
LaVine was the Bruins’ fourth-leading scorer (9.4 ppg) and finished the year with 48 three-point field goals, the second-highest total by any UCLA freshman in program history. Both Alford and LaVine were named Pac-12 All-Freshman Team selections in March.
UCLA concluded its 2013-14 campaign with a 28-9 record, advancing to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 after having won the Pac-12 Tournament at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. This marked UCLA’s first trip to the Sweet 16 and first Pac-12 Tournament championship since 2008.
Under the direction of UCLA first-year head coach Steve Alford, the Bruins finished third in the nation in assist-turnover ratio (1.7), fourth in steals per game (9.2), fifth in assists per game (17.2) and 10th in field goal percentage (48.9 percent). UCLA averaged 81.2 points per game, the 11th-highest scoring average in the nation and UCLA’s highest offensive output since 1997-98.
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| UCLA head coach Steve Alford speaks during the team's annual year-end banquet at the Beverly Hilton Hotel (photo by Don Liebig) |
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| Kyle Anderson (center) accepts the Gerald A. Finerman Award (Finerman pictured on left) with head coach Steve Alford (photo by Don Liebig) |
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A view of the ballroom as UCLA head coach Steve Alford speaks to Bruin fans during the team banquet (photo by Don Liebig)
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