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via Gerry McNamara
Earlier in the week, Syracuse held its annual “Cuse Awards,”¬†which gives athletes from various sports a chance to win accolades.¬† Four awards were given to the basketball team.
Firstly, senior C.J. Fair earned the “Male Athlete of the Year” award.  Fair had a very good first half, statistically speaking, but eventually dropped off at the back end of the schedule.  He averaged 16.5 points per game in his senior season, and also had 6.4 rebounds per game.
His leadership as a senior was noteworthy, too.  As one of only two seniors in the rotation, Fair was a leader for the five incoming freshman and to other teammates on the court.  He lead by example, even if his calm demeanor didn’t show it.
Fair’s best game of the season came against Duke, where he scored 28 points on 60 percent shooting.  He kept the Orange in the game during a wild second half and hit some key shots down the stretch in front of a giant crowd.
This game, rather clearly, was named “Game of the Year.”  The Orange defeated the Blue Devils 91-89 in overtime, while the game set a record for attendance.  There were 35,466 fans in attendance.  The Orange battled the whole game and fought off a desperation three at the buzzer to spur a rivalry with the storied program.
Tyler Ennis, on the other hand, won the “Male Rookie of the Year” award.  Hands down, Ennis deserved this award, bringing a team that had no business being the AP No. 1 team to the top of the polls.  In his true freshman year, Ennis averaged 12.9 points and 5.5 assists on the season.  His 3.24 assist/turnover ratio was ninth-best in the country.
Ennis’s buzzer-beating shot against Pittsburgh won the “Shot of the Year” award.  In what dubbed the freshman as the “Ice Man,” Ennis put up a prayer from about 40 feet out.  Miraculously, in sunk as time expired and stunned the Pittsburgh crowd.  What surely has become a memory for decades to come certainly deserved to win the award.
Perhaps Fair should not have won the “Male Athlete of the Year Award” for his mediocre play down the stretch.  But, in a down-year for football, the senior leader from Syracuse’s most popular sport had to be picked.
Basketball came up big, but here’s a list of all the winners:
Female Athlete of the Year: Alyssa Murray (women’s lacrosse)
Male Athlete of the Year: C.J. Fair
Female Rookie of the Year: Stephanie Skilton, women’s soccer
Male Rookie of the Year: Tyler Ennis
Syracuse 8 Courage Award: Terrel Hunt
Game of the Year: Men’s basketball 91-89 overtime win vs. Duke
Shot of the Year: Tyler Ennis’s buzzer-beater against Pittsburgh
‘Cuse Cares Award: Women’s soccer team
NACDA champions:¬†Men’s lacrosse team
Highest team GPA:¬†Women’s tennis
Male Performance of the Year:¬†Emil Ekblom, (men’s soccer), who had seven points (three goals, one assist) in a win over NC State
Female Performance of the Year: Kayla Treanor, women’s lax, who had seven goals (a career high) against North Carolina
Soladay Awards (top male and female scholar-athlete): Rachel Blum, soccer, and Robert Molke, XC
Most Improved Team: Women’s XC
Women’s Coach of the Year: Gary Gait, Quentin Hillsman
Men’s Coach of the Year: Chris Fox
Play of the Year: Terrel Hunt’s game-winning throwback touchdown pass to tight end Josh Parris against Boston College, which sent the Orange to the Texas Bowl
Female Team of the Year: Women’s lacrosse
Male Team of the Year: Men’s lacrosse
Other winners (individual sports):
Robert Molke, men’s cross country
Margo Malone, women’s cross country
Leonie Geyer, field hockey
Terrel Hunt, football
Emil Ekblom, men’s soccer
Stephanie Skilton, women’s soccer
Silvi Uattara, women’s volleyball
C.J. Fair, men’s basketball
Brianna Butler, women’s basketball
Melissa Piacentini, women’s ice hockey
Paige Samblanet, spirit squad
Donald Pollitt, men’s track
Lauren Penney, women’s track
Billy Ward, men’s lacrosse
Kasey Mock, women’s lacrosse
Jake Martens, men’s rowing
Georgia Hamilton, women’s rowing
Jasmine Watson, softball
Maddie Kobelt, women’s tennis
All-America honorees
Leonie Geyer, field hockey
Tyler Ennis, men’s basketball
C.J. Fair, men’s basketball
Lauren Penney, women’s track and field
Donald Pollitt, men’s track and field
JoJo Marasco, men’s lacrosse
Becca Block, women’s lacrosse
Alyssa Murray, women’s lacrosse
Kayla Treanor, women’s lacrosse
Posted by: Jason Weingold
