Colorado University Athletics
McKinley Wright IV won his third-straight Chauncey Billups MVP Award
Photo by: Joel Broida
Boyle Announces 2019-20 Team Awards
May 06, 2020 | Men's Basketball
BOULDER – University of Colorado men's basketball head coach Tad Boyle announced the team's 2019-20 season awards Wednesday night during a video conference call.
McKinley Wright IV received the Chauncey Billups Award as the team's Most Valuable Player. The Chauncey Billups MVP Award is one of five voted on by Colorado men's basketball student-athletes. Tyler Bey won the Best Defender Award, Eli Parquet was named Most Improved, Evan Battey was voted Most Inspirational and Alexander Strating won the Tebo Family P.A.S.S. Award.
In addition, two annual statistical champion awards were recognized. Bey won the Stephane Pelle Rebounding Award while Wright earned the Jay Humphries Assist Award.
Wright is the Chauncey Billups Award recipient for the third-straight year, joining Josh Scott as the only multiple winners. Scott won three times between 2013-16. Wright led the Buffaloes at 14.4 points and 5.0 assists per game. A two-time All-Pac-12 Conference selection, Wright was second on the team in steals (36), blocks (11) and free throws made (95) and third in rebounding (5.7 rpg) and 3-point field goals (39).
Wright won the Jay Humphries Award for the third time, named after the Buffaloes' all-time leader in assists (562 from 1980-84). This season, Wright joined Humphries as the only two Buffaloes in team history to reach 500 career assists. With 159 assists in 2019-20 he now owns three of Colorado's top eight single-season totals.
Bey was voted Best Defender for the third-straight season. He was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the second Buffalo to earn that distinction, joining Andre Roberson (2012-13). Bey was the Pac-12's leader in rebounds at 9.0 per game while coming in fifth in steals (1.5 spg) and seventh in blocks (1.2 bpg). He was the lone Pac-12 player to rank in the top 15 of all three categories.
Bey won the Stephane Pelle Rebounding Award, named after Colorado's all-time rebound leader, for the second-straight year. His 280 rebounds rank 18th on CU's single-season list.
Parquet, a sophomore guard, played in 30 games averaging just under three points per contest. After playing limited minutes early, Parquet surged during the last half of the season. He averaged over 19 minutes per game over the final 11 contests, highlighted by a career-high eight points in 36 minutes against Utah. Parquet ranked fourth on the team in blocked shots with nine.
Battey was voted as the team's Most Inspirational Player for the second time. After missing two years of basketball with academic and medical issues, Battey has put together back-to-back solid seasons and has become the emotional and energetic leader for the Buffaloes. He led Colorado in offensive rebounds (84) and ranked second on the team in overall rebounding (5.9 rpg) and field goal percentage (.526).
Strating repeated as the Tebo Family P.A.S.S. Award selection, in its third year overall. Named in honor of Stephen Tebo, a long-time supporter of the Colorado basketball program, the award was created to recognize the player, or players, that best exemplified the virtues of Perseverance, Attitude, Selflessness and Success. Strating graduated in December with his degree in Mathematics and currently pursuing a second degree in Economics.
Colorado finished the 2019-20 season with a record of 21-11, its seventh 20-win season in the last 10 years. The Buffaloes, ranked as high as No. 11 in the NCAA NET rankings in February, were well in line for their fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in the Boyle era before the season was shut down on March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In addition, two annual statistical champion awards were recognized. Bey won the Stephane Pelle Rebounding Award while Wright earned the Jay Humphries Assist Award.
Wright is the Chauncey Billups Award recipient for the third-straight year, joining Josh Scott as the only multiple winners. Scott won three times between 2013-16. Wright led the Buffaloes at 14.4 points and 5.0 assists per game. A two-time All-Pac-12 Conference selection, Wright was second on the team in steals (36), blocks (11) and free throws made (95) and third in rebounding (5.7 rpg) and 3-point field goals (39).
Wright won the Jay Humphries Award for the third time, named after the Buffaloes' all-time leader in assists (562 from 1980-84). This season, Wright joined Humphries as the only two Buffaloes in team history to reach 500 career assists. With 159 assists in 2019-20 he now owns three of Colorado's top eight single-season totals.
Bey was voted Best Defender for the third-straight season. He was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the second Buffalo to earn that distinction, joining Andre Roberson (2012-13). Bey was the Pac-12's leader in rebounds at 9.0 per game while coming in fifth in steals (1.5 spg) and seventh in blocks (1.2 bpg). He was the lone Pac-12 player to rank in the top 15 of all three categories.
Bey won the Stephane Pelle Rebounding Award, named after Colorado's all-time rebound leader, for the second-straight year. His 280 rebounds rank 18th on CU's single-season list.
Parquet, a sophomore guard, played in 30 games averaging just under three points per contest. After playing limited minutes early, Parquet surged during the last half of the season. He averaged over 19 minutes per game over the final 11 contests, highlighted by a career-high eight points in 36 minutes against Utah. Parquet ranked fourth on the team in blocked shots with nine.
Battey was voted as the team's Most Inspirational Player for the second time. After missing two years of basketball with academic and medical issues, Battey has put together back-to-back solid seasons and has become the emotional and energetic leader for the Buffaloes. He led Colorado in offensive rebounds (84) and ranked second on the team in overall rebounding (5.9 rpg) and field goal percentage (.526).
Strating repeated as the Tebo Family P.A.S.S. Award selection, in its third year overall. Named in honor of Stephen Tebo, a long-time supporter of the Colorado basketball program, the award was created to recognize the player, or players, that best exemplified the virtues of Perseverance, Attitude, Selflessness and Success. Strating graduated in December with his degree in Mathematics and currently pursuing a second degree in Economics.
Colorado finished the 2019-20 season with a record of 21-11, its seventh 20-win season in the last 10 years. The Buffaloes, ranked as high as No. 11 in the NCAA NET rankings in February, were well in line for their fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in the Boyle era before the season was shut down on March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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