Recognition Abound at UCLA Annual Awards Banquet

By Bruin Basketball Report

In a season with much to celebrate, the 2005-06 UCLA Annual Hoopster Awards banquet was held last night at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza.

Starting sophomore guards and co-captains, Arron Afflalo and Jordan Farmar, were given the Coach John Wooden Award as the team's co-Most Valuable Players.

Both first-team All-Pac-10 players, Afflalo and Farmar helped lead UCLA this season to the NCAA championship game, the Pac-10 regular season title, and to the Pac-10 tournament championship .

In addition to being UCLA's best defender, Afflalo was the team's leading scorer, averaging 15.8 points per game. He was also third on the team in rebounding with 4.2 per game.

Afflalo was also an honorable mention AP All-American and earned first-team honors from the USBWA (Dist. IX) and the NABC (Dist. 15). He was an All-Tournament selection at the Oakland Regional and All-Pac-10 Tournament.

Farmar was the Bruins' second-leading scorer, averaging 13.5 points per game, and led the Pac-10 in assists with 5.11 per game.

He was named to the NCAA All-Tournament teams in Oakland and Indianapolis, and was UCLA's leading scorer with 12.5 points per game in the NCAA Tournament. He earned first-team honors from the USBWA (Dist. IX) and NABC (Dist. 15). Farmar was nominated for the prestigious Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy and Bob Cousy Awards this season.

During the evening's festivities, Afflalo was also given: the Bob "Ace" Calkins Memorial Award as the team's free throw percentage leader (80.6%), and the Irv Pohlmeyer Memorial Award as the Outstanding Defensive Player for the second year in a row.

Farmar received the UCLA Alumni Association Award for leading the team in assists.

Freshman Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year who led the conference in field goal percentage shooting (53.8%), earned two honors: the Seymour Armond Memorial Award as the Most Valuable Freshman, and Gerald A. Finerman Award as the team's leading rebounder (8.2).

UCLA's two starting seniors, Cedric Bozeman and Ryan Hollins, each received awards Tuesday night.

Bozeman was given the Elvin C. "Ducky" Drake Memorial Award for Competitive Spirit, Inspiration and Unselfish Contributions, while Hollins received the Bruin Hoopsters J. D. Morgan Memorial Award for Outstanding Team Play.

Two other freshmen received awards; Alfred Aboya earned the UCLA Faculty Athletic Representative Award for Academic Achievement and Team Contribution, and Darren Collison received the Bruin Bench Basketball Award for Most Improvement in All-Around Play and Mental Attitude.

(BruinBasketballReport.com)

(photo credit: AP)