Fontan, Wise named MVPs


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Seniors Jio Fontan and Eric Wise were named team MVPs following the USC men’s basketball team’s annual end-of-season awards banquet held Tuesday night.

Wise, a 6-foot-6 forward, led the Trojans in scoring, averaging 11.9 points per game in his lone season with the program after transferring from UC Irvine following his junior season with the Anteaters. He also ranked second on the team in rebounding with 5.7 per game.

A transfer as well, from Fordham, Fontan started all 32 games for USC, averaging 9.3 points, 5.3 assists and 1.7 rebounds. Fontan was also honored as the team’s top defender.

Other award winners included junior center Dewayne Dedmon (Bob Boyd Award as the leading rebounder), junior center Omar Oraby (Ernie Holbrook Award for Most Inspirational), junior guard J.T. Terrell (Ryan Francis Scholarship Award for an “example of being a Trojan”) and sophomore guard Byron Wesley (The Harold Jones Award as most improved).

USC finished 14-18 overall and 9-9 in the Pac-12 during the 2012-13 season, falling in the first round of the conference tournament last March in Las Vegas.