2011-12 Season Celebrated at Team Banquet

PROVO, Utah -- BYU men's basketball celebrated the accomplishments of the 2011-12 season at its annual awards banquet Wednesday night at the Provo Marriott.

In 2011-12, the Cougars went 26-9 overall and 12-4 in the West Coast Conference — the program’s first season in the new league. The 26-wins extend a program record streak of six-consecutive seasons with at least 25 wins. BYU also advanced to the NCAA Tournament for a program record sixth-straight season and won in the tournament for the third-straight year, also a record.

Rose recognized and expressed gratitude to all those who made the 2011-12 season a success, including the players, coaches, wives, family members, doctors, trainers, managers, academic advisors and the many others who support the program.

“I would hope that you’d all understand how thankful I am to everyone in this room,” Rose said. “There’s not one person in this room who hasn’t contributed to the success of this year’s team and this program.”

Dave Rose started by recognizing former basketball secretary Zeffie Nelson, who retired this spring. She worked for 13 years in the basketball office under Rose and former head coach Steve Cleveland.

KSL Newradio’s Greg Wrubell — the voice of the Cougars — served as master of ceremonies and listed the numerous highlights, awards and milestones achieved by the 2011-12 team. Jordan Feinauer and Andy Brimhall of BYU Athletic Communications Video captured the many accomplishments and memories of the year with a video presentation highlighting each player and many of the key moments, including the NCAA Tournament record 25-point comeback win over Iona in the First Round.

Rose then presented the team awards, including framed jerseys for the seniors, Charles Abouo and Noah Hartsock.

“This program means the world to me,” Abouo said. “I thank Coach Rose for letting me be a part of it. This is a special place and it has helped me grow not only as a competitor but also as a person. It’s been an amazing experience and probably the best four years of my life.”

“It’s been a great four years and great to a part of this program,” Hartsock said. “There have been so many great people that have helped us out. The coaching staff has been phenomenal. It’s been a great ride.”

The following team awards were presented to the players who added to BYU’s winning tradition during the 2011-12 season.