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Where do we start with Malcolm Brogdon? Or should I say, Uncle Malcolm? Perhaps, Humble Moses? This year, he has been nothing short of amazing. He is the first player in ACC history to bring home both the Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards. Brogdon is also a consensus All-American and a one of four finalists for the Naismith College Player of the Year Award. If you want to talk statistics, this season, he has averaged 18.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. His 89.7% free throw percentage is good for sixth in the country and first in the ACC. In short, Brogdon is a great player. A really, really great player. However, most of us know this already.
We have all come to love Brogdon for a myriad of other reasons too. Namely, he has helped reform Virginia basketball. Buying into the system that Tony Bennett was building, Brogdon helped forge an identity for the program which will persist for many years to come. He will forever be a leader of the Virginia squad, with no All-Americans, that won back-to-back ACC Regular Season Championships, a ACC Tournament Championship, and multiple NCAA Tournament appearances. When we will look back at the beginning successes during the Tony Bennett era, we will always attribute a large portion of that to Brogdon.
Off the court, he has been an exemplar for the University. As a true student-athlete, he will graduate this spring with an accelerated Master's degree from the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Hard work and dedication always seem to come up when describing Brogdon, and it definitely shows in all that he does. Former Wahoo and current UNI player, Paul Jesperson said on Brogdon's work ethic, "I've been around people who are focused, but Malcolm is on another level." Undoubtedly, we will remember Brogdon for encompassing the values of the University and being a complete player on the court.
Thank you Malcolm for all you've done and we wish you all the best going forward!