Trey Burke earns Michigans MVP honor

Michigan freshman point guard Trey Burke announced Monday he'd return to U-M for his sophomore year after flirting with the NBA. On Tuesday, he won the team's Bill Buntin Most Valuable Player Award.

Burke received a standing ovation at the Michigan basketball banquet when he accepted his award, thanking his teammates and coaches.

In his first season at Michigan, Burke averaged 14.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists. He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year by the media, All-Big Ten second team from coaches and media and a unanimous selection to the conference all-freshman team. He earned U-M's first All-America recognition since 1998 with honorable mention honors from the Associated Press.

Burke's team-leading 156 assists earned him the GARY GRANT AWARD FOR MOST ASSISTS and broke U-M's 27-year-old record for assists by a freshman in a single season, previously held by Grant (140, 1984-85).

Seniors Zack Novak and Stu Douglass, meanwhile, combined to win 10 awards after impressing those in attendance with impressive senior speeches. Novak was honored with six awards, including the STEVE GROTE HUSTLE AWARD, the BODNAR AWARD FOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT, the AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING FREE THROW SHOOTING, the IRON MAN AWARD and the CHARGE AWARD.

Novak averaged a career-best 9.2 points with 4.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, thanking the assistants for his improvement between his junior and senior seasons. He shot a career-best 47.6 percent from the field and 85.7 percent from the free throw line.

In addition to a number of other honors, he became the first Wolverine since 1984 to earn Capital One Academic All-America honors with his third-team selection. He set U-M's record for all-time minutes played (4,357) and ranks fourth for three-point field goals made (213) and fifth for three-point field goals attempted (591).

Douglass won four awards, winning the RUDY TOMJANOVICH MOST IMPROVED AWARD, the WAYMAN BRITT OUTSTANDING DEFENSIVE PLAYER AWARD and the TRAVIS CONLAN SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD. He played in all 34 games during his final season, becoming the U-M record holder for career games played at 136 in playing every game in his career. He averaged a career-best 7.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.3 rebounds as a senior.

Novak and Douglass also shared the THAD GARNER LEADERSHIP AWARD. Redshirt sophomore Jordan Morgan earned the LOY VAUGHT REBOUNDING AWARD after leading U-M with 5.6 rebounds per game. Morgan's total of 191 rebounds was his highest single-season total.

Junior Matt Vogrich honored with U-M's SIXTH MAN AWARD. Vogrich averaged 10.7 minutes per contest, playing in all 34 games off the bench, and averaged 2.3 points and 1.3 rebounds per game.

2012 Michigan Basketball Awards

• Bill Buntin Most Valuable Player Award: Trey Burke

• Rudy Tomjanovich Most Improved Player Award: Stu Douglass

• Wayman Britt Outstanding Defensive Player Award: Stu Douglass

• Steve Grote Hustle Award: Zack Novak

• Thad Garner Leadership Award: Zack Novak and Stu Douglass

• Travis Conlan Sportsmanship Award: Stu Douglass

• Bodnar Award for Academic Achievement: Zack Novak

• Gary Grant Award for Most Assists: Trey Burke

• Loy Vaught Rebounding Award: Jordan Morgan

• Award for Outstanding Free Throw Shooting: Zack Novak

• Sixth Man Award: Matt Vogrich

• Iron Man Award: Zack Novak

• Charge Award: Zack Novak