The Emory men's basketball program saw three of its members bring home awards at the athletic department's year-end banquet. Seniors Alex Greven and Michael Friedberg, along with junior Jake Davis, were recognized for their outstanding play, both for the 2012-13 season as well as their careers.
Davis was tabbed as the male recipient of the Bridges award, symbolic of the outstanding all-around athlete. A fixture in the starting lineup during his three years, he has helped the Eagles to a pair of 20-win seasons as well as the most successful three-year record in school history.
This past season, Davis helped Emory to its first UAA Championship and NCAA Tournament berth since 1990 by averaging a team-leading 18.2 points per game, good for second place in the league. He compiled double-figure scoring efforts in 23 of the 25 contests he played in and registered 20 or more points on 12 occasions. The team's leading point producer in 14 outings, he earned First Team All-UAA honors for the second straight campaign and was selected to the All-South District Second Team by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. His 454 total points established him as the highest-scoring junior in the history of the program while placing sixth on Emory's seasonal chart. During this past season, he reached the 1,000-career point plateau in his 60th career contest making him the school's fastest player to reach that total.
A four-year veteran, he saw action in 97 games, 72 as a starter. He closed out his tenure in an Emory uniform in the No. 6 spot on the school's all-time scoring list while ranking sixth in three-point field goals and eighth in scoring average. All totaled, he ranks among the top 10 performers in school history in 11 statistical categories. In addition, he holds the school's second-longest streak with 39 straight games with at least one three-point field goal.
After earning second-team All-UAA honors as a sophomore and junior, he captured first-team acclaim this past season after ranking second on the club and third in the league with a 16.4 points per-game scoring average. The Eagles' leading scorer in nine games, he posted double-figure scoring on 24 occasions including eight performances of 20 or more points. He tied for second in the league in three-point field goals per game and his 67 triples represented the school's fourth-highest seasonal mark. He was chosen as the UAA Player of the Week a total of four times during his career, twice this past year, and earned a spot on the D3hoops.com Team of the Week.
Friedberg was a key component in the resurgence of the program that enjoyed its most productive four-year stretch in school history, registering 74 victories while finishing with a winning record in every season that he competed. Friedberg saw action in 100 games, 73 as a starter, and closed out his career with prominent rankings in a number of Emory all-time categories including first with 190 blocked shots. The owner of the second, third and fourth-highest Emory seasonal marks in blocked shots, his 560 rebounds stands as the fourth-highest mark in school history, while his 925 points places him 15th.
A second-team All-UAA selection this past year, he led the conference and stood 24th nationally in blocked shots, and also led the team, while finishing third in the league in steals. The team's leading rebounder with a 6.9 per-game average, his formidable presence helped the Eagles to a final record of 20-7 that included both the team's first UAA Championship and NCAA Tournament berth since 1990.