Michigan State University Athletics
Valentine Earns Senior CLASS Award
3/31/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
AP Player of the Year Denzel Valentine of Michigan State University has been selected as the 2015-16 Senior CLASS Award® winner in NCAA® Division I men's basketball. The announcement was made tonight at the State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championship, part of Final Four Weekend in Houston, Texas.
The award, chosen by a nationwide vote of Division I men's basketball coaches, national basketball media and fans, is given annually to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in Division I men's basketball. 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: classroom, community, character and competition.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
It's an honor to be the Senior CLASS Award winner," said Valentine. "Being a leader is not easy. Everybody wants to be in a leadership position, but not everybody really wants to do the things necessary of being a leader. Once you are in that position, you have to be a role model, you have to set a good example, and most importantly you have to be willing to sacrifice for the good of the team and for your teammates. I believe that if you sacrifice for others, are humble, are good to people, and give back to the community, that good things will fall into place."
"I was blessed with four great seniors this season, and Denzel Valentine was certainly at the top of that list," said Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. "He embodies all the different aspects of the Senior CLASS Award. Obviously he's received a great number of accolades for his on-court performance, and he'll graduate this May. But what makes him truly special is his leadership and his service. He felt an obligation to his teammates, his basketball program, his university and even his community. And every day that he stepped in the gym, he worked to get better and accomplish great things for others. He became the face of this team, and he handled it with class."
As committed to success off the court as he was on, Valentine will graduate this spring with a communications degree and will take with him a host of community outreach experiences. One of the most active volunteers on the Spartan basketball team, Valentine has worked with at-risk youth from the Lansing area, coordinated team visits to the Sparrow Hospital Pediatric Ward, participated in a Cinderella event to honor elementary students who raised money for Coaches vs. Cancer, and taken part in the National Walk to School event with Lansing Public Schools. He also arranged a meet and greet with a terminally ill patient whose lifetime wish was to meet the Michigan State men's basketball team. As a lifelong resident of Lansing, Valentine remained connected to the local community throughout his career and actively looked for ways to be a positive role model for local children.
"We're thrilled that Denzel was voted to be this year's Senior CLASS Award winner," said Erik Miner, executive director for the Senior CLASS Award. "This year's college basketball season has been characterized by an abundance of talented seniors, which has become increasingly rare. For Denzel to stand out from such an impressive group is something for which he and the entire university can be very proud. Our sincere congratulations to him, his family and to Michigan State."
It's the seventh National Player of the Year award for Valentine, as he's previously been recognized by the Associated Press, NABC, Basketball Times, Sports Illustrated, USA Today Sports and NBC Sports.
Valentine averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.8 assists in becoming the only player in NCAA history to average 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists since the assist became an official statistic in 1983-84. He is the first player to lead the Big Ten in overall scoring and assists since Iowa's Andre Woolridge in 1997. He ranks fourth in the nation in assists (7.8 apg), eighth in 3-point field goals per game (3.35) and 11th in 3-point field-goal percentage (.444).
His senior season began on a strong note, posting his first career triple-double in the second game of the season with 29 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists against Kansas. Nine days later, he posted another triple-double with 29 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists against Boston College. Valentine led the Big Ten with 12 double-doubles. In games which he started, Valentine made or assisted on 50.9 percent of Michigan State's field goals. His 241 assists rank as the third-best single-season total at MSU and the most by a Spartan senior, while his 104 made 3-pointers are the fourth-best single-season total. His 19.2 ppg scoring average is the best at Michigan State since Maurice Ager averaged 19.3 in 2005-06.
Valentine finished his career with 1,645 points, 856 rebounds and 639 assists, becoming the first player in Big Ten history to record 1,300 points, 700 rebounds and 500 assists. In MSU history, he ranks third in career assists (639), third in career games played (144), fourth in career 3-point field goals made (265) and attempted (650), ninth in career rebounds (856), tied for ninth in career games started (117) and 11th in career scoring (1,645). He is the only player in Michigan State history to rank in the career Top 10 in both assists and rebounds.
Postseason awards are quickly accumulating for Valentine. In addition to his most player of the year awards, he's been named First-Team All-America by the Associated Press, NABC, USBWA, Sporting News, USA TODAY Sports and Sports Illustrated. He became the eighth Spartan to be named Big Ten Player of the Year and he was a unanimous First-Team All-Big Ten selection. He followed by leading MSU to a Big Ten Tournament Championship and earning Most Outstanding Player honors. In addition, he was named the USBWA All-District V Player of the Year.
