May 2, 2002
FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- Ajou Deng and Deng Gai received two major awards at the Fairfield University annual athletics award banquet on April 29. Deng collected the Male Athlete Of The Year plaque, while Gai earned the Male Freshman Of The Year trophy.
Deng joined the team six games into the season, but still finished as the team's leading scorer with 16.7 points per game. He also paced the squad in rebounding with 8.1 caroms per contest. He registered five double-doubles during the year, including a 26-point, 19-rebound performance in a win against Canisius. He blocked 41 shots during the campaign, which was second on the team, and led the team with 34 three-point baskets. The senior topped his first year with the Stags by earning All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) honors.
Gai played in all 29 games, and started 23 of those outings. The forward earned a pair of MAAC Rookie Of The Week honors. He finished the season with 3.96 blocks per game, which ranked among the top five in the nation. His 117 blocks represented more than half of the team's 201 blocks. He collected MAAC All-Rookie honors, and gained the MAAC Defensive Player Of The Year. His final statistics included 11 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
The Fairfield University men's basketball team, under head coach Tim O'Toole, finished the 2001-02 season with a 12-17 overall record and a 9-9 MAAC mark.
