Chris Chiozza Named Recipient of 2018 Lt. Fred Koss Award
Tuesday, April 10, 2018 | Men's Basketball
Chris Chiozza, whose remarkable four-year career has been punctuated by last second buzzer beating shots and a will to win that brought out the best in his Florida teammates, was named by head coach Mike White as the 2018 recipient of the Lt. Fred Koss Award.
"Chris came to Gainesville with a core of values that were instilled by a loving family and a strong personal faith," said Coach White. "Over the last four years, his life has been tested by events that strengthened him both as a person and as a basketball player. His toughness and single-minded perseverance are attributes which helped him capitalize on his strength of character to excel as one of the best point guards in Florida's basketball history."
The Lt. Fred Koss Award is presented annually by the men's Head Basketball Coach when a senior basketball player at the University of Florida has distinguished himself during a four year career by reflecting the attributes of leadership, personal character, scholarship and competitive excellence.
This is the 44th anniversary of the award established in 1974 by then Head Coach John Lotz to honor Lt. Fred Koss who perished when his F-4 Phantom jet was shot down on July 7, 1972, during the Vietnam War. Lt. Koss was a freshman basketball player at the University of Florida in 1964-65. He earned his undergraduate degree from Findlay College before entering the United States Air Force for pilot training.
The first recipient of the award in 1974 was Timothy Fletcher, who ironically went on to become a Colonel in the United States Air Force with a 30-year career.
Chris finished his senior season as Florida's all-time assist leader with 571 career assists. Chiozza and Nick Calathes are the only two players in Florida basketball history to dish out more than 200 assists in a single season. He will be remembered for so many highlight moments and none more dramatic than the last second buzzer beating shot against Wisconsin in Madison Square Garden to advance Florida into the Elite 8 of the 2017 NCAA tournament.
His career though may be best characterized by his performance in Florida's first round NCAA tournament game this past season when he recorded 11 assists and had not a single turnover in another 30-plus-minute performance. Chiozza averaged over 32 minutes a game of playing time his senior season and had an incredible 3.4 assists for every one turnover.
As the 44th recipient of the award, Chiozza joins Eugene McDowell, Clifford Lett, Craig Brown, Clayton Bates, Udonis Haslem, Lee Humphrey and last year's award winner, Kasey Hill, among the many others who have excelled over their own four year careers. Chris also departs Gainesville with a degree in Telecommunications and the reputation as a young man whose character, integrity and a selfless commitment to the program's success will be an inspirational model for all Gator basketball players in the years ahead.
"Chris came to Gainesville with a core of values that were instilled by a loving family and a strong personal faith," said Coach White. "Over the last four years, his life has been tested by events that strengthened him both as a person and as a basketball player. His toughness and single-minded perseverance are attributes which helped him capitalize on his strength of character to excel as one of the best point guards in Florida's basketball history."
The Lt. Fred Koss Award is presented annually by the men's Head Basketball Coach when a senior basketball player at the University of Florida has distinguished himself during a four year career by reflecting the attributes of leadership, personal character, scholarship and competitive excellence.
This is the 44th anniversary of the award established in 1974 by then Head Coach John Lotz to honor Lt. Fred Koss who perished when his F-4 Phantom jet was shot down on July 7, 1972, during the Vietnam War. Lt. Koss was a freshman basketball player at the University of Florida in 1964-65. He earned his undergraduate degree from Findlay College before entering the United States Air Force for pilot training.
The first recipient of the award in 1974 was Timothy Fletcher, who ironically went on to become a Colonel in the United States Air Force with a 30-year career.
Chris finished his senior season as Florida's all-time assist leader with 571 career assists. Chiozza and Nick Calathes are the only two players in Florida basketball history to dish out more than 200 assists in a single season. He will be remembered for so many highlight moments and none more dramatic than the last second buzzer beating shot against Wisconsin in Madison Square Garden to advance Florida into the Elite 8 of the 2017 NCAA tournament.
His career though may be best characterized by his performance in Florida's first round NCAA tournament game this past season when he recorded 11 assists and had not a single turnover in another 30-plus-minute performance. Chiozza averaged over 32 minutes a game of playing time his senior season and had an incredible 3.4 assists for every one turnover.
As the 44th recipient of the award, Chiozza joins Eugene McDowell, Clifford Lett, Craig Brown, Clayton Bates, Udonis Haslem, Lee Humphrey and last year's award winner, Kasey Hill, among the many others who have excelled over their own four year careers. Chris also departs Gainesville with a degree in Telecommunications and the reputation as a young man whose character, integrity and a selfless commitment to the program's success will be an inspirational model for all Gator basketball players in the years ahead.
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