Mizzou Basketball Announces Awards Winners At Postseason Banquet
4/10/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
April 10, 2007
Columbia, Mo. - Columbia, Mo. - Stefhon Hannah claimed Most Outstanding Player recognition and paced the club with three overall awards, while Kalen Grimes and Marcus Watkins each claimed multiple honors as the University of Missouri men's basketball program looked back on an exciting 2006-07 campaign at their annual banquet held Tuesday evening at the Holiday Inn Select Executive Center in Columbia.
The Tigers handed out 12 awards in front of a sold out crowd of better than 350 Tiger fans, paced by Hannah, who claimed the Tiger Assist Award and Free Throw Award in addition to his Most Outstanding Player honor.
The Big 12 Conference's unanimous choice for Newcomer of the Year, Hannah paced the Tigers in scoring (15.4), assists (4.6) and steals (2.4), while earning All-Big 12 recognition from the Kansas City Star (2nd Team), Big 12 Coaches (3rd Team) and Austin American-Statesman (3rd Team). Also one of the team's most consistent players, Hannah reached double-figures in 26-of-30 games and was the lone player in the Big 12 Conference to record both a point-rebound and point-assist double-double last season. Hannah scored 17 points and grabbed 10 boards on Feb. 24 at Nebraska and scored 12 points and tied the school record with 13 assists vs. Coppin State.
Hannah's 4.6 assists per game were also among the Big 12's elite. Currently No. 9 in Mizzou single-season history with 137 dimes, Hannah finished the season No. 4 in the Big 12 in assists and topped five assists in 13 outings. Hannah also shared the Free Throw Award with fellow newcomer Keon Lawrence. The duo tied for the team lead with a 78.8-percent success rate from the charity stripe and with Hannah's increased number of attempts, the Chicago native finished the season ranked No. 8 in the Big 12 from the foul line.
Watkins and Grimes each earned multiple honors as well. Watkins earned the Iron Tiger Award for his outstanding effort in strength training and the Tiger Leadership Award for his outstanding leadership both on the floor and in the classroom. Already a 2006 graduate of Mizzou, Watkins is currently working towards his graduate degree and capped his MU home tenure with a career high 15 points against Colorado on Senior Night.
Grimes was Missouri's Chairman of the Boards after pacing the team with 5.6 rebounds per game and claimed the Tiger Pride Award for not only sacrificing his body throughout the year, but pacing the club with 12 charges taken. The St. Louis native led Mizzou with three double-doubles on the year and saw his rebounding average jump from 2.6 boards as a sophomore to a team-leading 5.6 caroms as a junior. The 12 boards he accumulated against Evansville and Kansas were career highs for the former Hazelwood Central High School standout.
Fellow St. Louis native Matt Lawrence earned Most Improved accolades after averaging 11.2 points and 3.1 rebounds as a sophomore. The Big 12's most improved player with a 9.7 ppg. scoring increase, Lawrence was also named to the Kansas City Star's All-Improved Team after averaging just 1.5 points per game as a freshman. Named the Nation's No. 1 Surprise Impact Player by Stephen Bardo on ESPN's College Game Night, Lawrence was the lone Tiger to make starts in all-30 contests and finished No. 2 in the Big 12 in both three-point percentage (44.3) and three-point field goals per game (2.7). His 44.3-percent success rate from beyond the arc ranks No. 9 in school history, while his 81 total three-pointer is tied for No. 7.
While a number of players earned consideration for the Best Defender Award, it was yet another newcomer, Darryl Butterfield that left with the hardware. One of the team's most unsung performers, Butterfield came off the bench in 28 games and provided excellent energy and passion on both ends of the floor. While averaging 14.0 minutes per game, Butterfield recorded 21 steals and averaged 2.8 boards. He was also one of the team's most unselfish players with 24 assists.
Leo Lyons earned the Sixth Man Award coming off the bench in 24 contests. A native of Kansas City, Kan., Lyons finished fifth on the club with 7.4 points and was No. 2 in rebounding with 4.3 caroms per night. In addition to his improved consistency, Lyons showed a much-improved proficiency for attacking on the offensive end, and finished the year with eight double-figure scoring efforts, seven of which came off the bench. Lyons scored a career high 18 points in Mizzou's 81-75 win over NCAA Tournament participant Davidson, 11 in wins over Texas Tech and Baylor and 14 points in a home win over Oklahoma. One of the team's better defenders with 33 steals, Lyons was also one of the team's most efficient shooters, finishing tops on the club with a 55.0 field goal percentage, which was aided by 68.4-percent shooting (26-of-38) over the final seven games.
The Tiger Coaches Award went to junior guard Jason Horton. Also one of the team's most-improved players, the Coaches Award honors the top Tiger who displayed a commitment to helping the team attain its goals, while displaying the intangible qualities that builds overall teamwork. Horton earned the Coaches Award for his leadership and unselfish play. A starter in 61 career games, Horton stepped up his play once coming off the bench and led the club with an incredible 23-to-5 assist-to-turnover ratio during that stretch. Second on the club with 95 total assists, Horton has 319 career helpers and needs just 63 dimes as a senior to move into Mizzou's career Top Five. Overall, the Dallas native ranked No. 13 in the Big 12 with 3.2 assists per game, No. 14 with 1.3 steals per game and was No. 4 with a team-leading 2.38-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Another junior, Marshall Brown, was honored with the Tiger Service Award. One of Missouri's most active student-athletes in the community (regardless of sport), Brown can often be seen at local elementary schools mentoring young children. A future educator following his collegiate career, Brown worked twice a week in a child development lab and spent Feb. 9 at Cedar Ridge Elementary School in Columbia reading to local students. The Austin, Texas, native also excelled on the court, averaging a career high 10.1 points and 4.2 rebounds last season. Brown enjoyed a career high 28 points against Kansas State, on 9-of-13 shooting, while going a perfect 8-of-8 from the foul line. Brown also turned in an outstanding effort in front of a hometown crowd at Texas, scoring 24 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field.
While the team celebrated a number of accomplishments from the 2006-07 campaign, work for 2007-08 has already begun. The team began individual workouts in March before taking a week off for Spring Break. The team resumed workouts on April 2 and works out Monday - Thursday in the afternoons.
2007 Mizzou Basketball Awards Banquet Honorees
Iron Tiger Award: Marcus Watkins
(For outstanding effort and performance in strength training)Most Improved Player Award: Matt Lawrence (For dedication to improving his basketball skill level)
Chairman of the Boards Award: Kalen Grimes (Team-leader in rebounding)
Tiger Leadership Award: Marcus Watkins (For providing outstanding team leadership qualities both on the floor and in the classroom)
Best Defender Award: Darryl Butterfield (For outstanding effort and desire on defense)
Sixth Man Award: Leo Lyons (For outstanding contribution to overall team performance off the bench)
Tiger Assist Award: Stefhon Hannah (For unselfish play and leading the team in assists)
Tiger Coaches Award: Jason Horton (For commitment to attaining team goals and displaying the intangible qualities that build teamwork)
Tiger Pride Award: Kalen Grimes (For sacrificing his body and leading the team in charges taken)
Tiger Service Award: Marshall Brown (For commitment to serving and giving to the community)
Tiger Free Throw Award: Stefhon Hannah / Keon Lawrence (For excellence in free throw shooting and leading the team free throw percentage)
Most Outstanding Player Award: Stefhon Hannah (For overall performance and being a team leader on the floor)
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