Bucknell University Athletics
Postseason Awards Handed Out at Annual Backcourt Club Banquet
5/2/2010 8:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
May 2, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Head coach Dave Paulsen hosted the annual Backcourt Club Awards Banquet on Sunday afternoon in the Terrace Room on campus. While seniors Patrick Behan, Zach Evans, Matt Fiery and Stephen Tyree were the centers of attention as the Bison basketball program celebrated their four-year careers, junior point guard Darryl Shazier was given the Benton A. Kribbs Award as team's most valuable player.
Behan, Tyree and sophomore guard Bryan Cohen also earned awards, and freshmen Joe Willman, Bryson Johnson and Mike Muscala received their Patriot League All-Rookie plaques. Muscala also picked up his Second Team All-Patriot League certificate.
Behan, Evans and Fiery all made heartfelt remarks, reflecting on their careers in Orange & Blue, and each was presented his framed jersey and his locker stool emblazoned with his name and number.
Paulsen presented Behan with the Coaches' Award, a well-deserved honor for a player who enjoyed a terrific four-year career at Bucknell. Behan was a Second Team All-Patriot League selection as a junior, and he finished his career with 925 points and 452 rebounds while shooting 45.5 percent from the field. Behan averaged 9.0 points and 4.5 rebounds this season, and Paulsen praised his leadership on a team that relied heavily on first and second-year players.
Shazier had an outstanding junior year as Bucknell's starting point guard. Shazier led the team in scoring at 10.1 points per game, and he had a terrific 118-to-50 assist-to-turnover ratio while playing the second-most minutes in the Patriot League. Shazier ranked third in the league in assists per game and second in assist-to-turnover ratio, and he also led the team in steals (36) and made 3-pointers (42). Heading into his senior year, Shazier ranks seventh on Bucknell's career assists chart with 313.
Cohen won the Thomas A. Thompson Award for Spirit, Intensity and Outstanding Defensive Play for the second year in a row. Cohen was the 2010 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year and was also named to the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Defensive All-America Team. He was regularly assigned to the opposition's best offensive player, regardless of position. On top of that, he scored 8.8 points per game and was second on the team in assists with 84.
Tyree was presented with the Malcolm E. Musser Award for Leadership after a successful comeback season. Tyree missed all of 2008-09 after an offseason knee injury, but he worked many painstaking hours to comeback this past season, and he ended up starting all 31 games. He averaged 5.7 points and a team-high 5.2 rebounds while playing 26.4 minutes per night. Tyree led the team by shooting 48.2 percent from the field, and the former Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year and Thompson Award winner played his usual solid defense as well.
Paulsen announced that longtime local Bison supporter Jeff Ranck is the 2010 winner of the Backcourt Club Award, presented for outstanding contributions to the program. The Bison basketball program also recognized Gerry Commerford, who will be retiring at the end of the academic year after a long tenure as associate dean of students.
After taking a break for final exams, the Bison will regather for about 10 days of practice before embarking on a tour of Italy later in the month.
