INDIANAPOLIS - Coming off the winningest season in the program’s 37-year history, the IUPUI basketball program announced its postseason award winners on Tuesday night at its annual banquet at Harry & Izzy’s downtown. The Jaguars went 26-7 in 2007-08 and finished as The Summit League’s runner-up in both the regular season and tournament.
Junior guard George Hill, who was voted The Summit League’s Player of the Year, was named Team MVP. His backcourt mate, junior Gary Patterson earned the Top Gun Award as the team’s top three-point shooter while senior Drew Conner was named Mr. Defense. Senior Austin Montgomery was selected as Mr. Versatility and Bill Van Senus was honored with the Coaches’ Award.
Hill was among the nation’s elite statistically this past season, turning in 21.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. He also led the team with 57 steals in 32 games and shot 54.5 percent from the floor and 45 percent from three-point range. He was an Honorable Mention All-America pick by The Associated Press and a Mid-Major All-America selection by numerous publications.
Patterson began etching his name throughout the IUPUI record books this past season, drilling 93 threes in 33 games to rank third on the program’s single-season list. Additionally, he hit an amazing 11 threes in the Jags win over Southern Utah on Jan. 31, setting a single-game high water mark in IUPUI’s Division I era. The 5-foot-10 sharpshooter hit a 44.5 percent clip of his treys and was named Second Team All-Summit following the season.
Conner, a rugged 6-foot-5 forward, took over a starting role late in his junior year and blossomed as the team’s best defender in 2008. He drew over 30 charges his senior season including four in the first half of a win over Oakland. For the year, he collected 31 steals in 32 games, while starting 27 times. He finished his final season ranked fifth on the team in steals, blocked shots and minutes played.
After leading the team in scoring in 2006-07, Montgomery embraced a more complementary role during his senior year as Hill returned from injury. The 6-foot-5 swingman averaged 13.7 points per game and shot 47.5 percent from the floor in 32 games (all starts). He also handed out 51 assists and grabbed 33 steals while ranking among the league leaders in free throw shooting and three-point shooting.
Finally Van Senus capped his collegiate career by playing in 27 games and making five starts this past season. The 7-footer averaged a modest seven minutes per game, but posted career-highs in points, rebounds and blocks during the course of the season. Academically, he ranks among the top three on the team in grade point average and was used as a defensive stopper on more than one occasion in 2007-08.