Hunter Dickinson named Michigan men’s basketball team MVP
In what shouldn’t be a huge surprise, Hunter Dickinson was named Most Valuable Player of the Michigan men’s basketball team during the 2021-22 season.
The honor was unveiled Wednesday during the team’s postseason celebration, where the sophomore center and senior guard Eli Brooks combined for seven of the 12 awards handed out.
Michigan is coming off a 19-15 season highlighted by an unexpected run to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16.
Dickinson led the team in scoring (18.6 points per game) and rebounding (8.6) for a second straight season, garnering second-team all-Big Ten honors. He was also named Michigan’s Most Improved Player and awarded the team’s rebounding award.
Meanwhile, Brooks — Michigan’s lone captain — was named team Defensive Player of the Year, in addition to earning a leadership, iron man and an award for most outstanding free-throw shooter.
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Brooks departs the program as its all-time leader in games played (159) and career wins (124), having capitalized on an additional year granted to all student-athletes from the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He averaged a career-best 12.8 points and 3.7 rebounds this past season on 56 made 3-point baskets, while adding 40 steals.
Elsewhere, sophomore forward Terrance Williams II was named Michigan’s Sixth Man of the Year. Williams averaged 4.7 points per game and hit 20 3-point baskets off the bench for the Wolverines, who benefitted from his key minutes in late-season wins over Ohio State and Tennessee.
2022 Michigan Men’s Basketball Awards:
• Bill Buntin Most Valuable Player: Hunter Dickinson
• Wayman Britt Outstanding Defensive Player: Eli Brooks
• Travis Conlan Sportsmanship Award: Adrien Nunez
• Rudy Tomjanovich Most Improved Player: Hunter Dickinson
• Sixth Man Award: Terrance Williams II
• Steve Grote Hustle Award: Jace Howard & Moussa Diabate
• Thad Garner Leadership Award: Eli Brooks
• Iron Man Award: Eli Brooks (35.9 mpg)
• Award for Outstanding Free Throw Shooting: Eli Brooks (87.7 percent; 71-for-81)
• Morgan/Bodnar Brothers Award for Academic Achievement: Frankie Collins
• Gary Grant Award for Most Assists: DeVante’ Jones (4.6 apg; 151 assists)
• Loy Vaught Rebounding Award: Hunter Dickinson (8.6 rpg)