MONTREAL -- Senior Avery Cadogan of Winnipeg, received the Dr. Ross Hill Trophy as most valuable player of the McGill University men's basketball team at their annual awards gala, held Wednesday, to formally conclude the 118th season of college hoops on the downtown campus.

Other major awards, handed out by head coach David DeAveiro at the Enoteca Monza Pizzeria Moderna restaurant, went to Levi Londole (most outstanding defensive player) of LaSalle, Que., Jamal Mayali (most improved player) of Toronto, Anthony Fisiru (rookie of the year) of Gatineau, Que., and team captain Noah Daoust (leadership award) of Dorval, Que..

Cadogan, a 6-foot-5 guard, worked his way into a starting role for 11 of the team's 16 league games and merited first-team all-star honours in the RSEQ conference. He averaged 28.8 minutes per outing, while scoring 10.8 points and pulling down 5.6 rebounds per game. The 23-year-old economics senior set a single-game school record with eight treys in a 2017 preseason win over Kent State and had the unique distinction of becoming the first player in team history to play back-to-back complete 40-minute games on the same weekend (2019). He ranked second this season among conference leaders in total blocked shots (13), fifth in three-point shooting (.406) and 11th in field-goal shooting (.491). He shot a lofty 79.2 per cent from the free-throw line and contributed 15 steals in addition to 10 assists. Cadogan also helped Canada win bronze at the 2018 FIBA 3-on-3 tourney in China.

Londole, a 6-foot-8 guard named last month as the conference's defensive player-of-the-year, played a key role in guiding the team to the best defensive record in the Quebec league, allowing just 69.4 points against per game. The 24-year-old physical education sophomore was McGill's second-leading rebounder with 79, including 52 in the defensive zone, for an average of 4.9 per game. He finished fourth among league leaders in blocked shots with 10, averaging 0.6 per game. Offensively, Londole averaged 6.1 points per game and ranked fourth in RSEQ field-goal percentage (.558). He added a dozen assists and nine steals.

Mayali, a 6-foot-3 guard who merited three starts and appeared in 15 league games, averaging 21.2 minutes of court time. The 20-year-old arts sophomore scored 7.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He shot a lofty 54.2 per cent from the field (45/83), went 15-for-30 from three-point range and made 12 of 18 free-throws. Mayali was also credited with 21 assists, 17 steals and one blocked shot.

Fisiru had a solid rookie campaign, starting all 16 games and averaging 25.7 minutes on the floor. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound guard tallied 9.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per contest. A 20-year-old economics freshman, he shot 40.7 per cent from the floor, 26.9 from downtown and 65.5 from the charity stripe. Fisiru led the team in steals (20), to go along with 25 assists and three blocks.

Daoust, a 6-foot-7, 221-pound forward, also merited the University's Richard Pound Award last week, presented to a graduating male athlete for proficiency and leadership in athletics over his career. The 23-year-old industrial relations senior earned conference all-rookie honours as a freshman and played a key roles in McGill winning three league titles over his five seasons. He merited second-team all-star status twice and helped guide Canada to silver and bronze medals at the FISU 3-on-3 world university league championship in China over the last two years. He also served on the McGill Varsity Council and was on the project team of the Redmen basketball "Seeds of Change" fundraiser. During his final campaign, he played 26.7 minutes of court time, averaging 11.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

The 2018-19 season was a challenging one for the injury-plagued Redmen, who posted a 14-15 record overall, including a 14-10 mark against Canadian university opponents and a 9-7 result in regular season play. The schedule will no doubt be remembered for a preseason game against the NCAA's Duke Blue Devils -- ranked for most of the season as No.1 in the NCAA -- played on Aug. 19 that drew a Quebec university record crowd of 10,098 at Place Bell in Laval.

The team is expected to lose four veterans to graduation, including the aforementioned Avery Cadogan and Noah Daoust -- both fifth-year seniors -- along with injured starters Alex Paquin (applied finance) of Candiac, Que., and Isaiah Cummins (physics & computer science) of Oshawa, Ont., both of whom missed the entire second semester.