BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- Six different Hilltoppers were recognized on Thursday evening at the annual awards banquet for Western Kentucky University men's basketball, held at E.A. Diddle Arena. WKU finished its second season under head coach Ken McDonald at 21-13, notching its Sun Belt Conference record sixth-straight 20-win campaign, the longest such stretch for the Hilltoppers in 65 years.
Now with 40 seasons of 20 or more wins, WKU ranks sixth all-time in NCAA history trailing only Kentucky (54), North Carolina (53), UCLA (45), Duke (45), and Louisville (43).
Seniors AJ Slaughter and Jeremy Evans, a duo that combined for two regular season Sun Belt Championships, two SBC Tournament titles, three NCAA Tournament wins, and a 97-40 ledger in four years on the Hill, walked away with the most hardware on the evening. Slaughter received the Darel Carrier Free Throw Accuracy Award, the Dwight Smith Playmaker of the Year Award, and highlighting his haul was the Clem Haskins Most Valuable Player Award.
The 6-3 guard from Shelbyville, Ky. shared MVP honors with Orlando Mendez-Valdez last season. This season, he was tabbed as the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Player of the Year and lived up to that billing, leading the Hilltoppers and ranking second in the league in scoring at 17.5 ppg on the season. Seeing more time on the court than any other player in the conference, averaging 36.5 mpg, Slaughter was the only player in the league to rank in the top four in the Sun Belt in assists, steals, free three percentage, and three-pointers made per game.
With 13 performances of 20 points or more this season, the Sun Belt All-Conference First-Team selection topped that scoring plateau more than any other player in the league. Averaging 19.2 ppg in conference play, Slaughter was the key catalyst in the Toppers stretch run. As WKU won its final six games of the regular season, Slaughter contributed 20.8 ppg, 6.3 apg, and had a three-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio. He was also named All-Tournament after leading WKU to the Sun Belt Tournament semifinals.
A three-time SBC Player of the Week winner this year, Slaughter eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in the season-opener against Wisconsin-Milwaukee when he scored a then-career-high 30. He posted double figures in scoring in 31 of 34 games this past season, jetting up the WKU career scoring list from 45th to 12th with 1,581 points.
Capping off his career, Slaughter dropped a career-high 31 points in a 99-69 win over South Alabama on February 18 on "senior night" at E.A. Diddle Arena.
Evans received the Ralph Crosthwaite Field Goal Accuracy Award, shared Bobby Rascoe Defensive Player of the Year honors with Steffphon Pettigrew, and received the Danny Rumph Outstanding Teammate Award.
The 6-9 senior from Crossett, Ark. averaged 10.0 ppg and 6.9 rpg in connecting on 137-of-211 field goal attempts for a Sun Belt Conference best 64.9 percent. Winning the Ralph Crosthwaite Field Goal Accuracy Award for the third-straight season, Evans finishes his stellar career as the school's all-time field goal percentage leader at 63.0 percent.
Sharing the Bobby Rascoe Defensive Player of the Year designation, Evans was renown around the league as a superb shot blocker and a defensive presence in the paint. With 224 career blocked shots, Evans passed former WKU All-American Chris Marcus as the school's all-time leader. The 2008 Sun Belt Conference Most Valuable Player became just the second player in school history with 1,000 points, 750 rebounds, and 200 blocks.
In addition to sharing the Bobby Rascoe Defensive Player of the Year Award, Pettigrew received the E.A. Diddle Award, along with Sergio Kerusch. The award is given to the individual who displays leadership, character, loyalty, ability, and love for their fellow man. The award was initiated in 1971 by the Bowling Green Civitan Club in honor of E.A. Diddle who coached the Hilltoppers for 42 seasons and still, more than four decades after his retirement, ranks among college basketball's all-time winningest coaches.
Pettigrew often drew the defensive assignment of shutting down the opponent's top offensive weapon, many times matching up in the paint against a taller foe. The 6-5 junior, however, not only was a defensive stopper, but finished second on the team in scoring with 14.9 ppg.
Receiving his first postseason Sun Belt All-Conference recognition this year, in addition to being named to the NABC All-District Team, the Elizabethtown, Ky. product recorded double-digit scoring performances in 29 of 34 games this season. The 2007 Kentucky Mr. Basketball led WKU in scoring 14 times, just two behind Slaughter for the team lead. Pettigrew became the 45th member of the WKU 1,000-point club on February 20 with 17 points in a key overtime road win at Arkansas State. With 1,077 points, he will enter his senior season in 2010-11 at 35th all-time in scoring on the Hill.
Kerusch, who also received the Tom Marshall Rebounder of the Year Award for a second consecutive year, averaged a team-best 7.2 rebounds per game. Despite missing 14 games with an injury, the junior from Memphis, Tenn. still pulled down 144 rebounds and was third on the team in scoring at 14.3 ppg. Kerusch posted three double doubles in 20 games played, and earned Sun Belt Player of the Week honors on March 1 after pouring in a career-high 32 points on 13-of-17 shooting in an 88-61 road win at FIU in the regular season finale.
Newcomer Cliff Dixon was presented with the John Oldham Most Improved Player Award. The 6-10 center from Suitland, Md. joined the Topper program from Hutchinson Community College and averaged 5.0 ppg and 4.4 rpg for WKU this past season. In a crucial mid-season stretch, Dixon posted four double figure scoring performances in a span of six games, highlighted by his first career double double with 10 points and 13 rebounds coming in a home win over FIU on January 16. Dixon's production increased as the season went on, contributing 5.3 points in league games and 6.8 ppg over his final nine home contests.
Freshman Caden Dickerson earned the Dixie Mahurin Academic Award. The 5-10 freshman guard from Argyle, Texas was named to the Sun Belt's Commissioner's list (3.50 GPA or higher) for the fall semester. In starting 19 of 34 games as a rookie, Dickerson finished fifth on the team in scoring at 5.9 ppg while shooting a team-best 42.7 percent from three-point range (44-of-103). His 199 points was just one shy of making him the 11th player in WKU history to score 200 points in his freshman season.
The Jones Family Appreciation Award was presented to Dr. Camden Wood Selig and his family. After serving as Director of Athletics at WKU for the past 10 and a half years, Dr. Selig is leaving the Hill to return to his hometown of Norfolk, Va. to assume the reigns of the athletic department at Old Dominion University.
Clem Haskins Most Valuable Player: AJ Slaughter
E.A. Diddle Award: Steffphon Pettigrew and Sergio Kerusch
Danny Rumph Outstanding Teammate Award: Jeremy Evans
Ralph Crosthwaite Field Goal Accuracy Award: Jeremy Evans
Darel Carrier Free Throw Accuracy Award: AJ Slaughter
Tom Marshall Rebounder of the Year: Sergio Kerusch
Dwight Smith Playmaker of the Year: AJ Slaughter
John Oldham Most Improved Player: Cliff Dixon
Bobby Rascoe Defensive Player of the Year: Steffphon Pettigrew and Jeremy Evans
Dixie Mahurin Academic Award: Caden Dickerson
Jones Family Appreciation Award: Dr. Camden Wood Selig and Family
