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AP honors Aussie with player award

University of Illinois coach Bruce Weber talks with forward Luther Head during the second half of their game against the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa on Feb. 19. Top-ranked Illinois won 75-65. AP named Weber college coach of the year on Friday. PHOTO: AP

Australian Olympian Andrew Bogut was named The Associated Press US college basketball player of the year on Friday.

The 2.1m center grew up in Melbourne with a passion for the game nurtured by his parents, both natives of Croatia. The desire to test himself against the best convinced Bogut to attend college in the US, a stint at the University of Utah which lasted two years.

Standing alongside the latest trophy in a growing collection, Bogut said, "I have been coached by Australian guys, European guys and American guys and they have all helped me so many ways. They all tried to make me a better player."

It worked.

Bogut led Division I with 26 double-doubles in 35 games this season. He was second in rebounding at 12.2 per game, and fourth in field goal percentage at 62 percent. He averaged 20.4 points per game (15th in the US) and 2.3 assists while playing 35 minutes. He was the leading vote-getter on the AP's All-America first team.

The Utes finished with a record of 29-6, won the Mountain West Conference regular season title, and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Kentucky.

"He is one of the special, special people I have ever met," first-year Utah coach Ray Giacoletti said. "Basketball needs players, needs people like him."

Bogut announced this week that he would forego his final two seasons at Utah and apply for the NBA draft. He's expected to be one of the top picks in June, and he knows the work has just begun.

"I have to get ready, get stronger for the physical play that I'll see there," Bogut said. "I don't have any plan, like being an all-star in three years or anything like that. I know I want to get better and I'll show people how hungry I am for that."

The 20-year-old Bogut averaged 14.8 points and 8.8 rebounds last summer in Athens for the Australian Olympic team. Just four years earlier he was cut from his state team in Victoria.

"He got really angry when he was cut," his father, Michael Bogut, said. "He said, `Dad, this is the last time I'm last. Whatever it takes.'"

Bogut received 31 votes for player of the year from AP's 72-member national media panel.

Bogut is the first player from Utah to win the award.

coach of year

Bruce Weber, who led Illinois to its winningest season, was an overwhelming choice Friday as The Associated Press US college coach of the year.

It was just the latest reward for a spectacular season for Weber, in only his second year at Champaign.

The Illini (36-1), who play Louisville in the national semifinals Saturday, were ranked No. 1 the final 15 weeks of the season, and were unanimous six times.

Only two other Illinois teams, in 1952 and 1989, were ever ranked No. 1, and both also reached the Final Four, but neither lasted on top more than a week during the season.

Weber received 54 votes from the 72-member national media panel that selects the weekly AP Top 25.

Mike Krzyzewski of Duke received six votes, while Al Skinner of Boston College had five and Lorenzo Romar of Washington had four.

Weber succeeded Bill Self at Illinois two years ago and led the Illini to their first outright Big Ten title in 52 years in his first season.

Weber coached Southern Illinois for five seasons, compiling a 103-54 record and leading the Salukis to the NCAA tournament twice, before the Illinois job opened when Self moved to Kansas. Weber was an assistant for 18 seasons to Purdue's Gene Keady, the coach of the year in 1996.

Weber's 81-year-old mother, Dawn, died suddenly the day the Illini beat Northwestern in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament. He didn't miss a game as Illinois went on to win the conference title and then won four games as the NCAA tournament's overall No. 1 seed. The Illini reached the Final Four with a memorable 90-89 overtime victory over Arizona, a game in which they trailed by 15 with 4 minutes left in regulation.

Weber is the first Illinois coach to win the award and the first from the Big Ten since Tom Izzo of Michigan State in 1998. Izzo's Spartans also reached the Final Four this season, setting up the possibility of an all-Big Ten national championship game.

Phil Martelli of Saint Joseph's won the award last season.
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