EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern men's basketball completed summer workouts on Friday, July 29, and held its annual end-of-summer award ceremony in Welsh-Ryan Arena's BMO Harris N-Club.
Head coach Chris Collins and his staff handed out three awards on Friday morning, including the "I Get Buckets" belt, the Swolly Grail and the "Pound The Rock" award.
I GET BUCKETS BELT
ISIAH BROWN | FRESHMAN | GUARD
The Award: The "I Get Buckets" belt is given to the player that captures the title for an on-going summer shooting competition. After a final test that was judged by the coaching staff, freshman guard Isiah Brown received the IGB belt. It was the first time in the belt's history that a freshman earned the honor.
Brown's Quote: "It means a lot to get this belt. I know that come time for the season this team is going to look to me for some scoring and I plan on working as hard as I can to do that for them."
THE SWOLLY GRAIL
NATHAN TAPHORN | SENIOR | FORWARD
The Award: In its fourth year, the Swolly Grail is bestowed upon the men's basketball player who accomplishes big things in the Sports Performance area. Senior forward Nathan Taphorn exhibited the talent and fortitude throughout the spring and summer to claim the coveted cup.
Taphorn's Quote: "This award is pretty important to me. This was a goal I set for myself at the beginning of the offseason and focusing on that goal everyday was important to me. That focus helped to set the right tone to go into the season."
POUND THE ROCK
SCOTTIE LINDSEY | JUNIOR | GUARD/FORWARD
The Award: Since Collins arrived in April of 2013, the Wildcats have adopted the mantra of "Pound The Rock." The Wildcats have a rock in the locker room, and beneath it a quote from Jacob A. Riis. The quote reads, "When nothing seems to help, I go look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it, but all that had gone before."
The winner of this award is someone who embodies that mantra day in and day out, both on and off the court. The winner of the third Pound the Rock award was rising junior Scottie Lindsey.
Lindsey's Quote: "This award means a lot to me. I have come a long way since I first got here. This offseason I knew I had to grow up and become a better teammate. I had to become a better leader and a better player, so it means a lot to be recognized."
The team will now take several weeks off before reconvening on Sept. 15 for the first practice of the fall. Northwestern will play Illinois Springfield in an exhibition game on Nov. 4, before tipping off the season on Nov. 11 against Mississippi Valley State at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Head coach Chris Collins and his staff handed out three awards on Friday morning, including the "I Get Buckets" belt, the Swolly Grail and the "Pound The Rock" award.
I GET BUCKETS BELT
ISIAH BROWN | FRESHMAN | GUARD
The Award: The "I Get Buckets" belt is given to the player that captures the title for an on-going summer shooting competition. After a final test that was judged by the coaching staff, freshman guard Isiah Brown received the IGB belt. It was the first time in the belt's history that a freshman earned the honor.
Brown's Quote: "It means a lot to get this belt. I know that come time for the season this team is going to look to me for some scoring and I plan on working as hard as I can to do that for them."
THE SWOLLY GRAIL
NATHAN TAPHORN | SENIOR | FORWARD
The Award: In its fourth year, the Swolly Grail is bestowed upon the men's basketball player who accomplishes big things in the Sports Performance area. Senior forward Nathan Taphorn exhibited the talent and fortitude throughout the spring and summer to claim the coveted cup.
Taphorn's Quote: "This award is pretty important to me. This was a goal I set for myself at the beginning of the offseason and focusing on that goal everyday was important to me. That focus helped to set the right tone to go into the season."
POUND THE ROCK
SCOTTIE LINDSEY | JUNIOR | GUARD/FORWARD
The Award: Since Collins arrived in April of 2013, the Wildcats have adopted the mantra of "Pound The Rock." The Wildcats have a rock in the locker room, and beneath it a quote from Jacob A. Riis. The quote reads, "When nothing seems to help, I go look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it, but all that had gone before."
The winner of this award is someone who embodies that mantra day in and day out, both on and off the court. The winner of the third Pound the Rock award was rising junior Scottie Lindsey.
Lindsey's Quote: "This award means a lot to me. I have come a long way since I first got here. This offseason I knew I had to grow up and become a better teammate. I had to become a better leader and a better player, so it means a lot to be recognized."
The team will now take several weeks off before reconvening on Sept. 15 for the first practice of the fall. Northwestern will play Illinois Springfield in an exhibition game on Nov. 4, before tipping off the season on Nov. 11 against Mississippi Valley State at Welsh-Ryan Arena.