April 19, 2007
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Seniors Ekene Ibekwe, Mike Jones and D.J. Strawberry were among many honored Thursday night at Maryland basketball's 2007 end-of-season honors banquet at Comcast Center. More than 400 family members, friends and Terrapin supporters came out for the annual event held on the arena floor to celebrate the careers of Ibekwe, Jones, Strawberry, Will Bowers, Parrish Brown and Gini Chukura.
Johnny Holliday, "Voice of the Terrapins" served as master of ceremonies for the evening, which featured the 2006-07 season highlight video, the presentation of awards and an address by Maryland head coach Gary Williams. The team also paid tribute to former Terrapin LaRon Cephas who passed away earlier in the week.
Strawberry, who capped a solid four-year playing career by earning second team All-ACC honors, was tabbed team MVP after leading the Terps with 14.9 points per game during his senior campaign. Williams presented the award to Strawberry, who leaves College Park among the Terps' all-time leaders in scoring, assists and steals.
Ibekwe was presented with the Charles "Buck Williams/Len Elmore Rebounding Award for the second consecutive year after leading the Terps and ranking fourth in the ACC with 7.8 rebounds per game. The Carson, Calif., native led the team in rebounding 19 times and grabbed 10-or-more boards in nine games. Assistant coach Chuck Driesell presented the award.
Freshman Greivis Vasquez was presented the Most Assists Award from assistant coach Michael Adams after leading the team and finishing sixth in the ACC with 4.62 assists per game. Vasquez's 157 assists was the third highest single-season total for a freshman at Maryland. He ranked sixth in the ACC with a 1.71 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Assistant Athletic Director for Academic Support and Career Development Anton Goff presented sophomore forward Dave Neal with the Maryland Basketball Academic Award for boasting the teams' most outstanding grade point average. Neal, who is enrolled in the College of Letters and Science and is majoring in criminal justice, appeared in 27 games during the season.
Eric Hayes earned the Outstanding Free Throw Shooter award. The freshman guard shot a team-best 91 percent from the line, connecting on 31-of-34 attempts from the charity stripe. Hayes started the season with 16 consecutive made free throws. Graduate assistant Robert Ehsan presented the award.
Senior Mike Jones was named the Fastbreaker Most Improved Player. Jones led the Terps in scoring a team-high 14 times during 2006-07. He improved his scoring average from 10.5 points as a junior to 13.8 during his senior season. Jones was 20th in the ACC in scoring and ranked fourth in three-point field goals made (2.38 pg). Director of Basketball Operations Troy Wainwright presented the award.
Ibekwe, Jones, and Strawberry were honored for having reached the prestigious 1,000 career point plateau during the 2006-07 season. Jones finished his career 30th on Maryland's all-time scoring list with 1,180 points. Strawberry tallied 1,126 career points and sits in 35th place, while Ibekwe recorded 1,109 points and is 37th all-time in scoring.
Williams presented the senior awards, showed his appreciation to the fans for their support and thanked the staff for their efforts. He also presented the Coach Morgan Wooten Lifetime Achievement Award to this year's recipient, former Maryland governor, Robert Ehrlich.
The Morgan Wooten Lifetime Achievement Award is named after America's all-time winningest high school coach and Maryland graduate from the class of 1956, Morgan Wooten. Wooten retired with a lifetime coaching record of 1,274-192 (.869) after 46 seasons at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Md., boasting five high school national championships and 13 NBA players.
2006-07 Award Winners
Most Valuable Player: D.J. Strawberry
Most Assists Award: Greivis Vasquez
Charles "Buck" Williams/Len Elmore Rebounding Award: Ekene Ibekwe
Maryland Basketball Academic Award: Dave Neal
Fastbreaker Most Improved Player Award: Mike Jones
Outstanding Free Throw Shooter Award: Eric Hayes
Senior Awards: Kenny Beaver (manager), Will Bowers, Parrish Brown, Gini Chukura, Mike Czan (manager), Aaron Hockel (manager), Ekene Ibekwe, Mike Jones, D.J. Strawberry
Coach Morgan Wooten Lifetime Achievement Award: Robert Ehrlich
