Burke Named Finalist For SI's Male College Athlete Of The Year
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- University of Michigan sophomore guard Trey Burke (Columbus, Ohio/Northland HS) was named today (Wednesday, May 8) as one of five finalists for Sports Illustrated's inaugural Male College Athlete of the Year presented by Volkswagen. In addition to the five men's finalists, there are five women finalists for a Female College Athlete of the Year Award.
The award will celebrate a student-athlete who has demonstrated excellent performance on the field and in the classroom, sportsmanship and commitment to community. Joining Burke as a finalist for the men's award is Cornell's Kyle Dake, USC's Khaled Holmes, St. Cloud State's Drew LeBlanc and Duke's Tyler Thornton.
All 10 finalists for SI's College Athlete of the Year winners will be featured in the May 27 issue, which hits newsstands on Wednesday, May 22. Profiles on the winners, including videos will also be featured on SI.com on May 22.
Burke helped Michigan to a 31-8 record in 2012-13, equaling the most wins in U-M history. He guided the Wolverines to their first Final Four in 20 years, advancing to the national title game, where he scored a game-high 24 points.
Burke was the consensus National Player of the Year, honored by the Associated Press, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) with the Oscar Robertson Award, the John R. Wooden Award, the Naismith Trophy and by Sports Illustrated. Burke also earned consensus All-America honors, as well as the Bob Cousy Award for the Top Collegiate Point Guard.
He finished the 2012-13 season averaging career bests in points (18.6), assists (6.67), field goal percentage (46.3), three-point percentage (38.4), free throw percentage (80.1) and steals (1.59). Scoring in double figures in 37 of 39 games this season, Burke recorded the fifth-highest point total in U-M history with 727 and became just the sixth Wolverine to record 700-plus points in a single season. He was the only Big Ten player to score at least 15 points in every conference game. For his 73-game career, Burke had 67 double-figure scoring games, including 20 contests with 20 or more points.
Burke led the Big Ten with 6.67 assists per game in 2012-13, which was 12th in the nation. He led U-M in assists in all but two games this season and tallied four or more assists in all but three contests.
He closed the season setting the U-M single-season and sophomore class record with 260 total assists. Burke also cracked U-M's all-time top 10 in assists, becoming just the eighth Wolverine to surpass 400 in a career. Overall, he is seventh with 416 assists. Burke posted 46 games with five or more assists, including four games with 10 or more.
On April 14, Burke announced that he would forgo his final two years of eligibility and declare for early into the 2013 NBA Draft, which is scheduled for June 27, 2013, at Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y. The draft will air at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
Volkswagen/Sports Illustrated College Athlete of the Year
Men's Finalists
Trey Burke, Michigan (Basketball)
Kyle Dake, Cornell (Wrestling)
Khaled Holmes, USC (Football)
Drew LeBlanc, St. Cloud State (Hockey)
Tyler Thornton, Duke (Basketball)
Women's Finalists
Liz Brenner, Oregon (Volleyball, Basketball, Softball and Track & Field)
Kimberlyn Duncan, LSU (Track & Field)
Brittney Griner, Baylor (Basketball)
Loren Shealy, North Carolina (Field Hockey)
Taylor Thornton, Northwestern (Lacrosse)
