HONOLULU – The University of Hawai'i men's basketball team held its annual awards banquet, Wednesday night at the Hilton Hawaiian Village as the team celebrated its 2018-19 season while handing out several player awards.
 
The top individual honor went to senior Jack Purchase, who was named the Art Woolaway Most Outstanding Player. Purchase co-led the Rainbow Warriors in scoring (11.5 ppg) and was the team's second-leading rebounder (5.9 rpg) in 2018-19. He earned second-team all-Big West honors and was once again one of the league's most prolific long-distance shooters. He leaves UH as the career leader in three-pointers made (199), a mantle he seized late this season.
 
Head coach Eran Ganot and the coaching staff handed out several other awards on the evening.  Senior Sheriff Drammeh earned the Bob Nash Hustle Award for the third straight season. The native of Stockholm, Sweden, appeared in 115 career games at UH, fifth-most in school history. Sophomore wing Samuta Avea received the Community Service Award, and junior forward Zigmars Raimo earned the team's Scholar-Athlete Award.
 
Raimo was also named Most Improved Player after making a quantum leap in his junior season. After two seasons of limited time off the bench, Raimo started all 31 games for the Rainbow Warriors this season. He co-led the team in scoring (11.5 ppg) and was the team's top rebounder (6.1 rpg). He was also among the Big West leaders in field goal percentage (.545).
 
The Ah Chew Goo Most Inspirational Award went to Brocke Stepteau. The senior capped his five-year UH journey from freshman walk-on to senior team captain this past season. He was again an integral part of the team's success, keying numerous UH wins with his clutch play down the stretch. He sank a school-record 34 consecutive free throws made and finished with a UH single-season record 88.9 percent free throw shooting percentage. Finally, Stepteau and sophomore Drew Buggs were both awarded the Riley Wallace Leadership Award.
 
2018-19 Award Winners
Art Woolaway Most Outstanding Player Award: Jack Purchase
Riley Wallace Leadership Award: Drew Buggs and Brocke Stepteau
Bob Nash Hustle Award: Sheriff Drammeh
Community Service Award: Samuta Avea
Scholar-Athlete Award: Zigmars Raimo
Most Improved Award: Zigmars Raimo
Ah Chew Goo Most Inspirational Award: Brocke Stepteau