State College, Pa. - April 17, 2004 - Penn State basketball coach Ed DeChellis handed out the hardware tonight at the annual Nittany Lion Booster Club Senior Awards Banquet. DeChellis and his staff handed out four awards in addition to two academic honors.

Freshman Marlon Smith (Bronx, N.Y.) was presented with the John Lawther Most Valuable Player Award, becoming the first freshman to ever win the award since its inception in 1969. Smith, who also became the first Nittany Lion to be named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, led Penn State in scoring with a 13.4 point per game mark and had a team-best 62 three-pointers. Smith also shot .753 from the free throw line, hitting 58 of 77 attempts, dished off 61 assists and had 22 steals.

Another rookie, freshman point guard Ben Luber (Richboro, Pa.) earned the Dave Phillips Unsung Hero Award. Luber led Penn State (and was among the Big Ten's top ten) in assists with 114 hand-offs, a Penn State freshman record. He scored 6.8 points per game and had a team-best 40 steals. Luber, along with Smith, both earned Rivals.com Freshman All-America Honorable Mention.

Sophomore Aaron Johnson (Exton, Pa.) was named the Scrappiest Player, awarded to the toughest player on the squad, both mentally and physically. Johnson was third on the team in scoring with a 9.7 ppg mark and was second with 6.5 rpg average. Johnson shot .481 form the floor, .700 from three-point land and .695 from the free throw line. His 61 offensive boards were tops on the team as well.

Senior Ndu Egekeze (Augusta, Ga.) won the Lou Lamie Most Inspirational Player Award, given to the player for exemplary conduct, attitude, interest and loyalty to the team. Egekeze emerged as a starter this season, and posted career-bests in scoring (6.2 ppg) and rebounding (3.2 rpg). The fifth-year senior shot a team-best .536 from the floor.

Egekeze also claimed one of the two academic awards. The mechanical engineering major won the Scholastic Award, presented annually to the player with the highest grade point average. Classmate Rob Fletcher (Pittsburg, Pa.) earned the inaugural Nittany Lion Club Senior Academic Achievement Award as well.

Penn State went 9-19 in 2003-04, including a 3-13 Big Ten mark. The Nittany Lions won more games, both overall and in-conference, than last season. Penn State has already received four signed national letters of intent for the upcoming season and has two more to offer.