Evan Mobley Named MVP As USC Men's Basketball Announces 2021 Team Awards
Freshman Evan Mobley received the Sam Barry Award as the 2020-21 USC men's basketball most valuable player, the Bob Boyd Award as the team's top rebounder and the Forrest F. Twogood Memorial Award as the team's top defender, to highlight the team awards announced today (May 6). The other Trojan being named winner of more than one award was senior Tahj Eaddy who was given the Bill Sharman Award as USC's best free throw shooter and the Harold Jones Memorial Award as the team's most improved player.
Mobley earned the USC Sam Barry Award as the most valuable player by leading USC in scoring at 16.4 points per game, rebounding with 8.7 per game, free throws made with 134, blocks with 95 and finishing third on the team in assists with 79. Mobley helped lead the Trojans to a 25-8 record and to the NCAA Elite Eight before falling to tournament finalist Gonzaga. The Trojans also came within percentage points of claiming their first outright conference title since the 1961 season. He was the only Division I player to average at least 16.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 2.0 assists for the season.
The second-team All-America forward earned the Bob Boyd Award as the top rebounder as he grabbed 286 boards during the season to lead all NCAA freshmen and finish second on USC's all-time freshman rebound list. Mobley also won the Forrest F. Twoogood Memorial Award as he set the USC freshman record and was second in the country with 95 blocks. His block total was the second-most ever by a Pac-12 freshman.
Mobley became the first player to win Pac-12 Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season when he accomplished the feat this season. He became just the second major conference player to earn all three awards in a single season, joining Anthony Davis of Kentucky (2011-12).
Eaddy was given the Harold Jones Memorial Award as the team's most improved player and the Bill Sharman Award as USC's best free throw shooter. Eaddy was second on the team in scoring with a 13.6 average and led USC with a 77.6 free throw percentage and with 92 assists. He made 38.8 percent of his three-pointers, while making a team-high 66 shots from beyond the arc.
Redshirt senior guard Isaiah White was named the recipient of the John Rudometkin Award winner as displaying the maximum effort at all times. White, who announced he will be returning for the 2021-22 season, averaged 7.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game, while leading the Trojans with 31 steals. He made 28 starts for the Trojans and appeared in 32 of 33 games.
Sophomore Isaiah Mobley was the Ryan Francis Scholarship Recipient as the underclassman who made an impact on the team through the example he set on and off the court, and about what it means to be Trojan. Mobley averaged 9.9 points and 7.3 rebounds while starting all 32 games in which he played. He posted six double-doubles during the season which ranked third among all Pac-12 players, as did his rebound average.
Sophomore Max Agbonkpolo has a 3.36 grade-point average (GPA) to lead the Trojans which earned him the Dr. James H. Zumberge Academic Award. Agbonkpolo averaged 3.9 points and 2.6 rebounds per game and his 537 minutes played were tops among the Trojans coming off the bench. He played in all 33 games and made two starts.
Freshman Boubacar Coulibaly was given the Ernie Holbrook Memorial Award as the most inspirational player. The forward averaged 1.3 points and 0.6 rebounds per game. Coulibaly made 10 of the 14 shots he took for a shooting percentage of 71.4 percent.
USC 2020-21 Team Award Winners
Dr. James H. Zumberge Academic Award (Highest GPA) – Max Agbonkpolo
Bill Sharman Award (Best Free Throw Percentage) – Tajh Eaddy
Bob Boyd Award (Top Rebounder) – Evan Mobley
John Rudometkin Award (110% Effort) – Isaiah White
Forrest F. Twogood Memorial Award (Best Defensive Player) – Evan Mobley
The Harold Jones Memorial Award (Most Improved) – Tajh Eaddy
Ryan Francis Scholarship Recipient (underclassman who made an impact through example) – Isaiah Mobley
Ernie Holbrook Memorial Award (Most Inspirational Player) – Boubacar Coulibaly
Sam Barry Award (MVP) – Evan Mobley