University of Connecticut Athletics
Ben Gordon Named 2004-05 NBA
5/3/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NEW YORK, N.Y. (May 3, 2005)-- Former University of Connecticut and current Chicago Bulls standout Ben Gordon (Mt. Vernon, N.Y.) has been named the 2004-05 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, it was announced by the league Tuesday.
Gordon becomes the first rookie to ever receive the award and is the second University of Connecticut performer to receive the award. Cliff Robinson was the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 1992-93.
Gordon received 88 of 125 first-place votes and 513 points from a panel of media members. Boston guard was second with 257 points, and Denver guard was third with 155.
Said UConn head coach Jim Calhoun, "Ben winning this award actually started a couple of years ago with his incredible work ethic and late night shooting sessions. It is not a surprise at all to me, our coaches or Ben's former teammates. He has worked very hard to overcome the bumps and bruises of a tough start to his NBA career, but I am very proud that he played through some early adversity and has shown everyone what we already knew: He is a winner and as tough a competitor as there is. People may be surprised by how he has performed in the clutch, but certainly not any of us who saw it for three years here at UConn."
The Rookie of the Year winner is expected to be announced Wednesday. Gordon and his college teammate at Connecticut, Emeka Okafor of the Charlotte Bobcats, are the leading candidates for that award, with Okafor regarded as the frontrunner to get the nod.
Gordon averaged 15.1 points in 24.4 minutes for the Bulls and had 34 double-digit quarters, including 21 in the fourth quarter, developing a reputation as one of the league’s top clutch performers. He played in all 82 regular season contests and averaged 40.5% from three-point range and 86.3% from the free throw line, both of which ranked him in the NBA Top 20. He was the No. 3 selection in the 2004 NBA Draft.
Ben was a three-year standout for the Huskies, scoring nearly 1,800 points and setting a UConn record for career three-pointers. Gordon helped lead UConn to the 2004 NCAA and BIG EAST Championships, earning All-Tournament honors at the NCAA Final Four and being named the Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA Phoenix Regional and at the BIG EAST Tournament. He led the 2004 NCAA Tournament in scoring at 21.2 points per contest.
