IU caps season with team awards

The IU men’s basketball season came to a close Thursday night at Assembly Hall with its first awards ceremony open to the public.

Fans piled into the west seats at Assembly Hall following an autograph session.

IU freshman forward Cody Zeller picked up five of the 15 awards of the evening.

Zeller, who was named Co-Big Ten Freshman of the Year, took home the Outstanding Player Award, Scoring Award, Rebounding Award, T-N-T (toughness and tenacity) Award and Hoosier Award.

“That was pretty neat, especially because it was voted on by my teammates,” Zeller said. “When I came in, I just wanted to make an impact on the team. I didn’t have any goals of how many points or rebounds I wanted to put up.”

Sophomore guard Victor Oladipo also brought home his fair share of hardware, winning the Deflections Award, Best Defensive Player Award and Most Improved Player Award.

Senior guard Verdell Jones III, who tore his ACL in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament and missed the rest of postseason play, took home the Landon Turner Inspirational Award, given to a player who overcame adversity.

“It meant a lot,” Jones III said. “I’ve been through a lot this year. For my teammates to vote that for me felt real good.”

Besides individual awards, the players also received awards for their team accomplishments. After leading IU to its first Sweet 16 since 2002, the players received their NCAA Tournament watches and rings.

Despite all the accolades, Zeller said there’s still some coveted hardware IU seeks.
“I don’t think we’re going to settle for the Sweet 16 next year,” he said.