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Yassin Idbihi

BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo men's basketball team handed out its season-ending awards at the annual UB Athletic Awards Banquet at the Four Points Sheraton in Cheektowaga.

Receiving awards from head coach Reggie Witherspoon and his staff were freshman Yassin Idbihi (Tangier, Morocco/Schloss Hagerhof), sophomore Calvin Cage (Capital Heights, MD/Bladensburg), junior Mark Bortz (Commerce Township, MI/Walled Lake Central) and junior Turner Battle (Kernersville, NC/East Forsyth).

Idbihi was named the team's Top Newcomer after a stellar freshman campaign. The 6-10 center led the Bulls in rebounding (5.8) and ranked second on the team in scoring (10.3). He was named to the Mid-American Conference All-Freshman Team.

Calvin Cage

Cage upped his season average from 5.9 points per game in 2002-03 to 8.8 points per game this season to earn the Most Improved Player Award. The sophomore guard was especially lethal in the latter stages of the season as he averaged 16.3 points per game over the final six games of the year. After averaging 20 points on 54.2 percent (13-24) from the floor and 57.1 percent (8-14) from beyond the arc in wins over Kent State and Miami, Cage earned MAC Player of the Week recognition on March 1.

Mark Bortz

Bortz earned the Coach's Award. The junior forward was the Bulls' first option and top threat off the bench. He averaged 9.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. He also led UB and ranked third in the conference with 41 blocked shots. Proof that he worked as hard in the classroom as he did on the court, Bortz was named to the 2003-04 Academic All-MAC squad.

The evening, however, belonged to Battle. Not only was he named the team's Most Valuable Player, but he was also named the UB Male Athlete of the Year. Battle is the only player in the Mid-American Conference to be named All-MAC and Academic All-MAC in each of the past two seasons. He was an All-MAC Second Team selection and a CoSIDA Academic All-District I First Team honoree this past season. Battle averaged 14.5 points and 4.1 assists per game in 2003-04, and he has 903 career points, 351 career rebounds and 312 career assists (fifth all-time at UB). Battle is a two-time team captain and team Most Valuable Player. He was an All-MAC Honorable Mention selection in 2002-03 and a MAC All-Freshman Team pick in 2001-02.

Turner Battle

The Bulls finished the season with a 17-12 overall record and an 11-7 MAC record. They made their first appearance in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals since joining the league in 1998. For its accomplishments, the team earned the Athletic Directors Team Award.