University of Dayton junior forward Chris Wright was named the winner of the White-Allen Most Valuable Player Award Sunday afternoon at the annual UD men's basketball banquet. The event was held at the Time Warner Cable Flight Deck at the University of Dayton Arena.
A preseason nominee for both the Wooden and Naismith awards, Wright leads Dayton in scoring (14.3 ppg), rebounding (7.3 rpg), blocks (41), minutes per game (28.3) and dunks ( a school-record 59), while ranking third in field goal percentage (.526, 161-306). He also ranks third in the A-10 in field goal percentage, eighth in rebounding, 10th in blocks and 13th in scoring.
Named co-MVP last season with Marcus Johnson, Wright is the 16th multiple MVP in UD history. He joins Flyer greats John Horan, Garry Roggenburk, Henry Finkel, Don May, Donald Smith, Johnny Davis, Jim Paxson, Roosevelt Chapman, Dave Colbert, Anthony Corbitt, Alex Robertson, Ryan Perryman, Mark Ashman, Tony Stanley and Brian Roberts in the club.
The White-Allen Most Valuable Player Trophy is sponsored by Tim White and White-Allen Auto Group, Inc. The award is selected by members of the team. The White-Allen Trophy has been awarded annually since 1953. White-Allen now sponsors the MVP award for UD’s men’s and women’s basketball, football and volleyball teams.
As the team’s top rebounder, Wright also captured his third straight “Shorty” Sharpenter Memorial Rebounding Trophy. Only two other Flyers – Ryan Perryman and Keith Waleskowski – earned the Sharpenter Award in their freshman, sophomore and junior seasons. The Sharpenter Award is named for Hall of Famer Ned "Shorty" Sharpenter, and has been sponsored by his family since its inception in 1979.
Sophomore Chris Johnson was also the recipient of two awards. He earned the Chris Daniels Memorial Most Improved Player Award, and was a repeat winner of the Alex Schoen Memorial Free Throw Trophy as UD’s top free throw shooter. After averaging a solid 6.3 points a game as a freshman last year, Johnson has improved to 11.8 points a game this season. He leads the team in FT% (.853, 56-68) and is second in scoring (11.8), rebounding (7.0), 3-pt. FG% (.364, 55-151) and third in steals (26). A .772 free throw shooter last year, Johnson’s current .853 FT% currently stands as the 10th-best single-season mark in UD history.
UD’s Chris Daniels Memorial Award is sponsored by Skelton Sports, and is presented in memory of Flyer center Chris Daniels. Originated in 1994-95 as the most improved player award, this award was renamed for Chris Daniels following his death in 1996. The Schoen Trophy is named in honor of Alex Schoen, Sr., the captain of UD's first varsity basketball team in 1903-04. Awarded since 1950, it is sponsored by Alex Schoen, Jr. It goes to the UD player with the highest FT% with a minimum of 1.5 free throws per game attempted.
Senior guard Marcus Johnson was named the winner of the Dr. George Rau Spirit Award, which is given annually to the player who displays true team spirit, on and off the court. Johnson has played through injuries this season, and has filled several roles. He has started at guard and forward, and even volunteered to come off the bench if coach Brian Gregory felt that was best for the team. After playing through the injuries suffered in non-conference play, Johnson has been solid against Atlantic 10 competition, averaging 8.8 points a game.
The Harry O'Rourke Insurance Agency sponsors the Rau Award, which began following the long-time Flyer team physician's death in 1972.
A pair of seniors, guard London Warren and big man Kurt Huelsman, were named co-winners of the Best Defender Award. For Warren it was the third time the “Jacksonville Jet” earned the award, while it was the second time for Huelsman. Warren is on pace to be the first player in Dayton history to lead the Flyers in steals all four seasons of his college career. He is currently fifth in career steals at UD with 165. Huelsman has anchored the Dayton defense that leads the a-10 in rebounding margin, and ranks third in FG% defense and fourth in scoring defense. First presented in 1994-95, the Best Defender Award is determined by the coaching staff.
Senior guard Dan Fox was presented the John L. Macbeth Memorial Scholar-Athlete Award, which goes to the member of the team with the highest cumulative grade point average after a minimum of five semesters of class work. Fox, an applied Mathematical Economics major, is one of seven Flyers seniors who will graduate on time this coming May. The Macbeth Scholar-Athlete Award is presented in memory of Dayton businessman John L. Macbeth, and is sponsored by Mrs. John L. Macbeth and family. It has been awarded since 1959.
Junior forward Devin Searcy was named this season’s winner of the Uhl Family Endowed Scholarship. Former Flyers Bill Uhl, Sr. and Bill Uhl, Jr., have endowed a men’s basketball scholarship, to be given to a returning Flyer basketball player. Originally awarded in 2003, it was the first endowed award of this type in the University of Dayton Athletics Division. It is given annually to the UD player who best exemplifies the qualities of good sportsmanship and character, and follows the University’s creed of “Learn, Lead and Serve” on and off the court. Previous recipients have been Keith Waleskowski, Mark Jones, Warren Williams, Jimmy Binnie, Marcus Johnson and Kurt Huelsman.
UD finished the regular season 19-11 with the 11 losses coming by a total of 44 points. Dayton finished seventh tied in the Atlantic 10 Conference with an 8-8 record. The Flyers are the #7 seed in the A-10 Conference Championship and will host 10th-seeded George Washington in the first round of the tournament on Tuesday, March 9 at 7:00 p.m. ET.
2009-10 UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON MEN'S BASKETBALL AWARDS
WHITE-ALLEN MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
CHRIS WRIGHT
ALEX SCHOEN FREE THROW PERCENTAGE
CHRIS JOHNSON
JOHN L. MACBETH SCHOLAR-ATHLETE
DAN FOX
DR. GEORGE RAU SPIRIT AWARD
MARCUS JOHNSON
"SHORTY" SHARPENTER TOP REBOUNDER
CHRIS WRIGHT
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
LONDON WARREN & KURT HUELSMAN
CHRIS DANIELS MEMORIAL AWARD
CHRIS JOHNSON
UHL FAMILY ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP
DEVIN SEARCY
