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Freije Named Finalist for Rupp Award 2/17/2004
Freije Named Finalist for Rupp Award LEXINGTON, Ky. — Vanderbilt’s Matt Freije was named one of 16 finalists for the Adolph F. Rupp All-American team and Player of the Year, as announced earlier this week by the Commonwealth Athletic Club. Freije leads Vanderbilt and ranks among the Southeastern Conference leaders in scoring (third-18.1 ppg), free throw shooting (third-.830), rebounding (17th-5.9 rpg). The senior from Overland Park, Kan., also ranks among the top 10 in school history in scoring, field goals made, three-point field goals made, free throws and blocked shots. Entering the Alabama game, he needs just 60 points to become Vanderbilt’s all-time leading scorer. The other 15 finalists, in alphabetical order, are Josh Childress, Stanford; Ike Diogu, Arizona State; Chris Duhon, Duke; Andre Emmett, Texas Tech; Matt Frieje, Vanderbilt; Francisco Garcia, Louisville; Ryan Gomes, Providence; Devin Harris, Wisconsin; Julius Hodge, North Carolina State; Jameer Nelson, St. Joseph’s; Emeka Okafor, Connecticut; J.J. Reddick, Duke; Lawrence Roberts, Mississippi State; Blake Stepp, Gonzaga; Hakim Warrick, Syracuse; and Bracey Wright, Indiana. The Atlantic Coast Conference (Duhon, Ridick, and Hodge) and Big East (Okafor, Warrick and Gomes) lead the nominees with three each, followed by the Southeastern Conference (Frieje and Roberts); the Pacific 10 (Childress and Dioga); and the Big Ten (Harris and Wright) with two each. Landing one finalist each were Conference USA (Garcia), the Atlantic 10 (Nelson), the Big 12 (Emmett), and the West Coast (Stepp). The award is named after the legendary University of Kentucky coach, who retired in 1972 with 876 victories and four NCAA championships to his credit. Among NCAA coaches with over 500 career wins, Adolph Rupp still maintains the highest winning percentage of all time at 82.2%. The Rupp All-American team and the five finalists for the Rupp Coach of the Year Award will be announced in early March. The Rupp Player of the Year and Coach of the Year will be announced at the Final Four on Thursday, April 1, in San Antonio. The selection committee consists of a 30-member panel of present and retired sports writers, coaches, TV-radio broadcasters, and administrators. From its inception in 1972, the Rupp Award has been considered one of the nation’s most prestigious Division I player-of-the-year awards. Former winners include: Bill Walton, David Thompson, Scott May, Marques Johnson, Butch Lee, Larry Bird, Mark Aguirre, Ralph Sampson, Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Walter Berry, David Robinson, Hersey Hawkins, Sean Elliott, Lionel Simmons, Shaquille O’Neal, Christian Laettner, Calbert Cheaney, Glenn Robinson, Joe Smith, Marcus Camby, Tim Duncan, Antawn Jamison, Elton Brand, Kenyon Martin, Shane Battier, Jason Williams, and David West. For more information on the Rupp Awards, contact Gerry Calvert with the Commonwealth Athletic Club of Kentucky at gerry.calvert@juno.com or (859) 361-2941, or contact Billy Reed at BReedII@aol.com. |
