 | | Pitching was key to victory as Lamar 13-year-olds defeated Rosenberg.
| | | | |
| Winning individual awards is nice, but Troy Ruths' biggest goal was attained this year when his Washington University Bears captured the NCAA Division III men's basketball championship.
The Bears defeated Amhurst College 90-78, giving the institution its first-ever national title.
Ruths led the way with 33 points. He was 9-of-13 from the field and hit a career-high 15-of-17 from the foul line.
In the semifinal game, Ruths tallied 30 points to lead the Bears past No. 1-ranked Hope College, 89-74.
For his efforts, not only did Ruths garner the tournament's Most Valuable Player award, he was also named the D3hoops.com and DIII News Division III National Player of the Year.
In addition, the senior was named to the All-University Athletic Association First Team, as well a National Basketball Coaches Association All-district selection as the male recipient of the Jostens Trophy.
“That was a high-class reception and I am glad my teammates and family could be in attendance,” said Ruths. “This is a perfect example of the good things people are doing for Division III basketball.”
Ruths was overwhelmed, and honored, by all the recognition.
“It's all hard to take in right now: winning a national championship and being named national player of the year,” said Ruths. “I'm honored to be considered the player of the year, and I know my candidacy for the award is directly tied to the team's success.
“So I'm grateful to my team, to my coaches, and to all the stars aligning that brought us to the national championship.”
For the season, he averaged 20.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. But in crunch time he excelled, averaging 31.5 points and 7.1 rebounds in the Final Four. He shot 71.4 percent from the field and 99.5 percent from the free-throw line.
For his career, Ruths ranks second on the all-time Washington University scoring list with 1,801 points, reaching double figures in 89 of his last 91 games. He ends his four-year career ranked first in games played (109), second in both field goals made (672) and free throws made (457), third in rebounds (709) and fifth in blocked shots (137).
Ruths also broke the single-season school record (prevously 580 points by Sandy Pomerantz in 1962-63) with 634 points scored.
Washington head coach Mark Edwards acknowledged the awards Ruth collected in his final season.
“After the great year Troy had, it's rewarding to see him earn this player of the year award,” said Edwards. “It's one more accolade that is well deserved, and adds to his memory book of his career.”
|
