Xavier University Athletics
Xavier Honored Its Men's Basketball Team On Wednesday With Its Annual Awards Banquet
04.13.11 | Men's Basketball
Second-year head coach Chris Mack, winner of the 2011 Atlantic 10 Conference Coach of the Year and the 2011 Skip Prosser Man of the Year awards, had plenty of season highlights to talk about.
Xavier secured its sixth straight 20-win season and its 14th 20-win season in 15 years. XU, 15-1 in the Atlantic 10 Conference, won sole possession of the Atlantic 10 Regular Season Championship and extended its Atlantic 10 record streak to 40 straight A-10 home wins.
Xavier made its sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance, one of only 12 schools that can say that: Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Marquette, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Villanova, Wisconsin and Xavier. XU made its 10th NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 11 NCAA Tournaments.
Xavier was ranked 20th in the final Associated Press Poll. This was XU's fourth straight year in the AP Final Poll. Only XU, Duke, Kansas, Purdue and Pittsburgh can make the claim of an active streak of at least four straight years in the AP Final "Top 25."
Xavier honored a number of players who earned awards this season, including four players that earned All-Atlantic 10 Conference honors. Junior Tu Holloway was the 2011 A-10 Player of the Year and a member of the A-10 All-Defensive Team. The A-10 coaches voted senior Jamel McLean and sophomore Mark Lyons to the Atlantic 10 Conference Third Team and junior Kenny Frease as an Atlantic 10 Conference Honorable Mention selection.
Holloway received a painted ball commemorating the fact that he passed 1,000 points for his Xavier career. He also received a framed "1" jersey that he wore in this year's Wake Forest game, commemorating the first of his two triple-doubles this season. Holloway had to change his jersey from No. 52 to No. 1 in that game.
The first special award of the night was the Ernest A. Staak Memorial Award, which went to senior Andrew Taylor. Taylor, who scored his career high of 16 points in his final game as a Musketeer in the 2011 NCAA Second Round, won the award for the second straight year. The Staak Award goes annually to the player who best exemplifies the life of former XU head coach and athletic director Bob Staak's father, including Ernest Staak's unselfish dedication and love of the game of basketball.
Senior Danté Jackson earned the Connie Brown Award, which is given annually to the team's most inspirational player. This is the second straight year that Jackson has won this award. Jackson and fellow senior Joe Hughes were a part of 107 wins during their careers, which left them just one win shy of the XU wins record. Their teams won seven NCAA Tournament games.
Junior Kenny Frease and sophomore Mark Lyons were co-recipients of the Gordon E. Nead Award, which is given annually to the team's most improved player. Lyons was second on the team in scoring (15th in the A-10 at 13.6 ppg.) and assists (3.1 apg.). Frease averaged 11.7 ppg. and 7.1 rpg. (second on the team and 10th in the Atlantic 10). Frease led XU in field goal percentage and ranked second in the A-10 at .549.
Senior Jamel McLean took home the Lew Hirt Society Coaches Award, which is given annually to the player the coaching staff feels stood out in some significant way during the season. McLean led Xavier and ranked third in the A-10 in rebounding (8.4 rpg.) to go with 10.6 ppg. He was second on the team and third in the Atlantic 10 in field goal percentage (.539).
The final special award given tonight was the George E. "Skip" Prosser Award, which was presented to junior Tu Holloway. The award is presented annually to the player who exemplifies the qualities that Coach Prosser admired. Like Coach Prosser, Holloway showed great toughness, an untiring work ethic, a burning competitive spirit, and he never backed down from a challenge.
Holloway was named as a 2010-11 Associated Press Third Team All-American, joining David West and Byron Larkin as the only XU players ever named to the AP first, second or third teams. Holloway was also named Third Team All-American by Sporting News, Basketball Times, SI.com, CBSSports.com and FOXSports.com. He was named to the All-America Team and Defensive All-America Team for collegeinsider.com.
Holloway led Xavier in scoring at 19.7 ppg. (second in the Atlantic 10), assists at 5.4 apg. (first in the A-10) and free throw percentage (second in A-10 at .870). Holloway, who will enter his senior year ranked 26th on XU's all-time scoring list with 1,238 career points, recorded two triple-doubles this season and just missed by one rebound of recording a third one.
Xavier also heard from its six departing seniors tonight: Kevin Feeney, Joe Hughes, Danté Jackson, Johnny Mazza, Jamel McLean and Andrew Taylor. McLean and Taylor are already Xavier graduates and the other four are on target to graduate in May. That means Xavier, as of May of 2011, will have graduated each of the last 83 men's basketball players that have played as seniors.
Xavier University President Michael J. Graham, S.J., finished the evening's celebration with his closing remarks.
