Michigan State University Athletics
Valentine Named Candidate For Senior CLASS Award
1/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Michigan State senior guard Denzel Valentine has been named a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award announced on Tuesday.
Valentine is joined by 29 other candidates including three from the Big Ten â€" Purdue's Rapheal Davis, Nebraska's Shavon Shields and Iowa's Mike Gesell. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release.
Each of the 30 candidate classes will be narrowed to 10 finalists in February, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one male candidate and one female candidate who best exemplify excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition. The winner will be announced during the 2016 Final Four.
Valentine ranks third in the Big Ten in assists (6.6 apg), third in scoring (17.9 ppg) and sixth in rebounding (7.7 rpg). His numbers are arguably the best in recent college basketball history. Since 1995-96, no player has averaged 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists for a season. He is the only player to rank in the Top 10 in the Big Ten in all three categories. Valentine ranks second in defensive rebounds (6.9 drpg), second in 3-point field goals made (2.9 pg) and tied for eighth in FT percentage (.818). Last season, he was the only Big Ten player to rank in the Top 15 in scoring, rebounding and assists.
