EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ (April 30, 2003) - Junior guard
Luis Flores (New York, NY) was selected as the 2003 winner of the NIT/Met Basketball Writers Association Haggerty Award, given to the area's best college player for the 2002-03 season, as announced at the 70th Annual NIT/MBWA Awards Dinner held this evening at the Meadowlands Racetrack. In addition, fourth-year head coach Bobby Gonzalez was tabbed MBWA Men's Coach of the Year. Also of note, junior forward
Dave Holmes (Washington, DC) was named to the All-Met Second Team and senior forward
Jared Johnson (Bronx, NY) was selected to the All-Met Third Team.
Flores, who was named to the All-Met First Team for the second year in a row, became the third Manhattan player ever to win the distinguished Haggerty Trophy. Rich Garner won it in 1972 and Bill Campion won the award in 1974. An AP Honorable Mention All-American, Flores, 6-2, has earned numerous awards and broken several school records in just his second season as a member of the Jasper men's basketball team. Flores averaged 24.6 points per game and broke the Manhattan single-season scoring record with 739 points. He is currently ranked 10th on Manhattan's all-time scoring list with 1,302 career points. He was also seventh in the nationa in Division I in scoring and 11th in free throw percentage (90.2%). Flores was named MAAC Player of the Year and MAAC Tournament MVP as the Jaspers won their fourth regular season MAAC title and second MAAC Tournament title.
Gonzalez, the MAAC Coach of the Year, guided the Jaspers to an impressive 23-7 season, the program's second MAAC Tournament title and the Jaspers' first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1995. He led the Jaspers to the MAAC regular season conference title, the program's fourth all-time. Manhattan won 14 conference games, the most in the team's history. Gonzalez and the Jaspers also put together a 15-game winning streak in mid-season, which for a brief time was the longest in the country. Gonzalez also guided the Jaspers to their second straight MSG/Holiday Festival championship, defeating St. John's and Iona to become the fifth team to win back-to-back titles in 50 years. The Jaspers finished the season as the top-ranked foul shooting squad in Division I with a 78.8 percentage from the line.
Holmes, 6-7, was the Jaspers' second leading scorer at 12.8 points per game and led the team in rebounding at 7.4 rebounds per game. A starter in only five games, Holmes was named the MAAC's Sixth Man of the Year. Holmes recorded six double-doubles and was named to the All-MAAC Second Team for the second consecutive year.
Johnson, 6-7, capped a marvelous four-year career with an impressive senior season. A Third Team All-MAAC pick, he ranked third on the team in scoring, averaging 12.5 points per game. Johnson was also second on the team in rebounding at 6.0 per game and ranked second in field goal percentage, making 50.9% of his shots. In his last game at Draddy Gymnasium against Iona, Johnson notched career-highs in points (23), rebounds (12) and blocks (6).
