May 19, 2003
Los Angeles, CA (May 19) - When Steve Aggers was hired at Loyola Marymount University in April of 2000, he looked to bring back the traditions of a successful past for the men's basketball program. For the third year the men's basketball team honored a tradition started over 40 years ago with the annual postseason awards of its top players from the 2002-03 season.
However, there was one new twist to awards, Aggers and his staff renamed the awards to build on a tradition started long before his staff came to LMU.
"When we were hired here to take over the program, we found many of the trophies, including those of the conference championships, collecting dust in a back closet," said Aggers. "Our goal is to bring back the traditions and pride to this program. We brought back the awards of the past and decided to tie them to the success of the past by naming them."
The award for dedication and work ethic was named the Lion Award, which was given to senior Patrick Madigan. The walk-on from La Crescenta, Calif., concluded a stellar career at LMU in which after three years of try-outs he made the team while achieving National Scholar-Athlete Status.
The award for hustle and improved play is named The Tom Peabody Award. Known as the "human bruise" when he played on the Lions' Elite Eight team, Peabody was often seen diving for loose balls and sacrificing his body for the team. This year the award was given to freshman Chris Ayer, who after playing just five minutes a game during non-conference would finish starting in 13 of 14 games during conference play while finishing fifth in the WCC with 1.07 blocks per game.
A new award created by Aggers was the Scholar-Athlete Award, given to the player with the highest GPA that season. For the second year in a row the award was give to junior Jason Dickens, who was an Academic All-Conference selection.
The defensive player of the year award, which is yet to be named, was given to freshman Wes Wardrop. The Anaheim, Calif., native drew the Lions' toughest defensive assignments and he responded. In the Lions' 80-74 win over Gonzaga, he earned four steals and forced WCC Player of the Year Blake Stepp into nine turnovers, including a steal with less than 30 seconds to play to win the game. He also finished 13th in the WCC with 2.52 assists per game.
The offensive player of the year award was re-named the Paul Westhead Award. Under Westhead's innovated system, the Lions set the all-time NCAA record for points in a season in 1989-90 with an average of 122.4 points per game. In 2002-03 the award was given to freshman Brandon Worthy. Named honorable mention All-Conference, Worthy finished with 11.0 points per game, ranking him fourth all-time as a freshman in LMU history.
The honor given to the top rebounder was re-named the Hank Gathers Award. Often known for his scoring, Gathers put greater emphasis on his rebounding than his scoring. He led the nation with 13.7 per game in 1988-89 and is second all-time at LMU with 985 rebounds.
The Hank Gathers award was given to junior Sherman Gay. The native of Carson, Calif., had the best season of his career, leading the team with 4.5 rebounds per game, 17th in the WCC. He also set the all-time school record with 60 blocks on the season, which was also led the WCC.
Finally the Team MVP award was named after alum and Basketball Hall of Fame member Pete Newell. The legendary coach who won a national championship at Cal, played for the Lions from 1936-39. Sophomore Charles Brown won the Newell Award for 2002-03.
Brown led the Lions in scoring, assists, steals and minutes played, the only player in the WCC to do so. He was 17th in the WCC in scoring (11.1 per game), 19th in rebounding (4.2), seventh in free throw percentage (80.2), third in assists (4.42) and first in steals (1.97).
The awards are voted on by the players and coaching staff.
2002-2003 Basketball Team Awards
* The Lion Award (Dedication/Work Ethic)
Patrick Madigan
* The Tom Peabody Award (Hustle/Most Improved)
Chris Ayer
* Scholar-Athlete Award (Highest GPA)
Jason Dickens
* Defensive Player of the Year
Wes Wardrop
* Paul Westhead Award (Offensive Player of the Year)
Brandon Worthy
* Hank Gathers Award (Top Rebounder)
Sherman Gay
* Pete Newell Award (Team MVP)
Charles Brown
