University of North Carolina Athletics
Okulaja Top Senior, MVP
June 21, 1999 | Men's Basketball
April 6, 1999
CHAPEL HILL --- Senior forward Ademola Okulaja was named Most Valuable Player and Most Outstanding Senior at the University of North Carolina's annual postseason men's basketball awards banquet, held Tuesday night at the Dean E. Smith Center.
Okulaja, a first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection, led the Tar Heels with 13.9 points per game, 8.4 rebounds per game, 46 steals and 59 three-point field goals. Okulaja finished his career with 1,254 points, 890 rebounds, 327 assists and 175 steals. He never missed a practice or a game. Okulaja played in 139 contests in his four-year career, one shy of the school record. The Tar Heels won 107 games, two ACC championships and advanced to a pair of Final Fours in his career.
Okulaja also was named team captain, received the Foy Roberson Award given to the Most Inspirational Player and received the Jimmie Dempsey Award as the team's overall statistical leader.
Other award winners include: senior Brad Frederick (Scholar-Athlete Award); senior Scott Williams (Rick Sharp Award for most behind-the-scenes contributions); Kris Lang (Butch Bennett Award to the top freshman and the Herb C. and Pauline Wall Award to the team's top screener), and sophomore Brendan Haywood (the Carmichael Cobb Award to the best defensive player).
Statistical winners also included Okulaja as the top rebounder, junior Ed Cota for assists, Haywood for charges drawn, blocked shots and best field goal percentage shooter, and freshman Jason Capel as the team's top free throw shooter.
