MOSCOW, Idaho – Idaho men's basketball took some time earlier this week to recognize some of its top performers from the 2016-17 season with its annual awards.
Nate Sherwood and
Arkadiy Mkrtychyan split the Gus Johnson Award, given to Idaho's top defender/rebounder. Both athletes were key to Idaho's success in 2016-17, providing a solid foundation in the front court.
Nate Sherwood finished second on the squad at 5.5 boards per contest, while Mkrtychyan finished third with 4.3 rebounds per game.
Victor Sanders took home the George Green Award as the team's leading assist man. Sanders averaged 3.3 assists per game, the ninth best average in the Big Sky. He entered the year pegged to be mostly on the wing for the Vandals but made the change to the point guard position early in conference play. The Vandals noticed the impact almost immediately, recovering from a slow start in the league to finish at 12-6 and tied for third.
The Jay Gano Award, given to the most inspirational Vandal, went to
Brayon Blake. Blake battled through adversity on and off the court in 2016-17 and still managed to lead the team with 6.1 boards per game and finish second on the squad at 10.0 points per contest. The junior made an immediate impact in his first season with the Vandals, missing just one game due to injury.
The Oz Thompson Award went to
Chad Sherwood and
Jordan Scott. The Award is given to the athlete that embodies what Oz stood for; sportsmanship, scholarship and leadership.
Chad Sherwood and Scott were key members of the squad, starting 56 games combined in 2016-17. Both are also successful in the classroom and are extremely active in the Vandal community.
Nate Sherwood also earned the Kathy Clark Award for combined academic and athletic excellence.
Nate Sherwood posted the highest GPA on the team and earned Big Sky All-Academic honors for his work in the classroom. On the court, the younger Sherwood was also tremendous, starting 32 of 33 games and scoring 6.8 points per contest.
Nate Sherwood was also the recipient of the Kathy Clark award in 2015-16.
The Ronald White Award for most outstanding player went to
Victor Sanders. Sanders led the squad at 20.9 points per game and became just the 16
th Vandal in team history to reach 1,000 career points. Sanders received a ton of recognition throughout the season as well, earning Preseason All-Big Sky, First Team All-Big Sky, All-Big Sky Tournament Team and NABC First Team All-District honors. It is Sanders' second consecutive Ronald White Award.
The Vandals enjoyed an excellent 2016-17 season, finishing in a tie for third in the Big Sky standings and advancing to the second round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. All award winners will be returning for the 2017-18 season.
Fans can stay up-to-date on all things Idaho men's basketball by following the team on twitter, @VandalHoops.
For more information on Idaho Athletics, visit GoVandals.com. Fans can also find Idaho on Twitter and Instagram, @Idaho_Vandals, or on Facebook by searching Idaho Vandals.
