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Princeton University Athletics
Venable, Conway Earn Awards at Princeton Men's Basketball Banquet
April 22, 2005 | Men's Basketball
April 22, 2005
Princeton senior guard Will Venable became just the eighth player to earn the team's B.F. Bunn Trophy for a second time when the award was announced at the annual Princeton Men's Basketball banquet Thursday evening at Jadwin Gym.
Venable, who averaged 10.5 points and 4.0 rebounds this past season, earned the award given to "that member of the varsity basketball team who through sportsmanship, play and influence has contributed most to the sport at Princeton. He was also a second-team All-Ivy League selection in 2004-05 and led Princeton in assists (87) and steals (53).
"The award is so much more than just an MVP," said Princeton assistant coach Tony Newsom, who presented the award. "It was a great opportunity every day for us to work with Will, and I'm sorry I only had the chance to do it for one year."
Venable joins Bernard Adams (1949, 1950), Michael Kearns (1950, 1951), Hal Haabestad (1953, 1954, 1955), Jim Brangan (1959, 1960), Bill Bradley (1964, 1965), Mike Brennan (1993, 1994) and Chris Mooney (1993, 1994) as multiple winners of the Bunn Trophy.
Sophomore Justin Conway, from Santa Fe, N.M., earned the Paul Richard Friedman Memorial Award, given to the member of the program who "does his very best every day in every way." Conway was a member of the Princeton junior varsity squad who dressed for several late-season varsity games, scoring his first career basket in a win over Harvard March 4.
Assistant coach Howard Levy presented the "Guardian of the Program" award to George Boccanfuso, affectionally known as "Georgie Buck" to hundreds of Princeton athletes, employees and alumni. Boccanfuso, the Supervisor of the athletics grounds crew for more than 30 years, officially retired 16 years ago but still works nearly every day at Jadwin Gym. "If you want to talk about dedication to your job, then you don't need to look any farther than George," said Princeton head coach Joe Scott. "He retired in 1989, but he's still here every day doing what he can to make this place great."
Princeton's five seniors--Jon Berger, Andre Logan, Mike Stephens, Will Venable and Judson Wallace--were each presented with a Princeton basketball jacket, a framed action photo from this past season and a group photo of the seniors taken during Senior Night festivities March 8 at Jadwin Gym.