Denzel Valentine, Aerial Powers named top MSU athletes
EAST LANSING – It was a clean sweep of the Michigan State athletic department’s top annual awards by the Spartans’ basketball programs.
Men’s player Denzel Valentine and women’s star Aeriel Powers were named the George Alderton Male and Female Athletes of the year, the school announced Monday.
Senior Valentine won six national player of the year awards and was a first-team All-American this season and is preparing for the NBA Draft, which is June 23 in Brooklyn, New York. The Lansing Sexton High graduate is projected to be a potential top 20 selection after becoming the only player in NCAA history to average more than 19 points (19.2), seven rebounds (7.5) and seven assists (7.8) per game since the assist became an official statistic in 1983-84.
The award is named for the former Lansing State Journal sports editor George Alderton, who is credited with creating the Spartans nickname in 1926.
“Growing up in Lansing, the son of a Spartan basketball player, I always dreamed of playing at Michigan State,” Valentine said in a release. “Wearing the Green and White was a dream come true. Before stepping on campus I was well aware of the great history, both of the basketball program and across the athletic department. Every time I stepped on the court, I just tried to live up to the lofty standards of those who played before me. To join the distinguished list of previous Alderton winners is humbling.”
Redshirt junior Powers was the fifth overall pick of the Dallas Wings in the WNBA Draft in April after opting to forego her final year of eligibility at MSU. The Detroit native was a third-team All-American who became the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,817 points in just three seasons. She currently is averaging 11.1 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.7 steals through seven games a WNBA rookie.
“I am so honored to receive this award,” Powers said in a release. “My time at Michigan State was amazing and a great experience. I would like to thank Coach Merchant, all of the basketball coaches, my teammates and my family for their help in making me the player that I have become. As I move on to the next stage of my life, I will always be proud to be a Spartan.”
Football center Jack Allen won both the Chester Brewer Leadership Award and was the Spartans’ male recipient of the Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor, which is awarded to graduating seniors who had “attained the greatest proficiency in athletics and scholastic work.” The Hinsdale, Illinois, native is currently a member of the New Orleans Saints.
Gymnast Lisa Burt from Port Orange, Florida, received the women’s Medal of Honor. Women’s soccer player Sarah Kovan, a Rhodes Scholar who is from Okemos, earned the Dr. James Feurig Achievement and Service Award.
* COUSINS IN LANSING: Former MSU and current Washington starting quarterback Kirk Cousins will be the guest speaker Tuesday at the Lansing State Journal’s inaugural Greater Lansing Sports Awards Banquet at the Lansing Center.
Contact Chris Solari at (517) 377-1070 or csolari@lsj.com.