Funk Named AAA Award Winner
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Tommy Funk of the Army West Point men’s basketball team received the Army Athletic Association Award, the United States Military Academy’s most prestigious athletic honor.
The AAA trophy is awarded annually to the male and female cadet-athletes who display the “most valuable service to intercollegiate athletics during a career as a cadet.”
This year marks the 116th anniversary of the AAA Award, which was first presented to football’s Horatio Hackett in 1904.
Funk becomes the ninth men’s basketball cadet all-time to receive the award and the first since Army Hall of Famer Kevin Houston ’87 earned the honor in 1987. He joins Sam Sullivan of the women's rugby team as the male and female recipient.
“Tommy made an impact on the men’s basketball team and at the Academy the day he stepped foot on campus,” Lee Anderson Head Men’s Basketball Coach Jimmy Allen said. “He set an example of toughness, competitiveness and resiliency early on in his career. He was a guy who delivered in clutch moments and inspired his teammates to do so as well. At the nation’s premiere leadership institution, Tommy stands out as one of the all-time greats.”Lee Anderson Head Men's Basketball Coach Jimmy Allen
Funk went down as one of the best point guards in program history after he displayed his passing, scoring and leadership abilities on the hardwood during his four seasons at West Point. The four-year floor general did not miss a single game since putting on an Army jersey back as a freshman in 2016 and went on to start in all 124 career outings. For his career, he averaged 12.5 points, 5.9 assists and 3.6 rebounds per tilt while shooting 42 percent from the field and 34 percent from deep.
A certified record breaker, Funk capped his illustrious four-year career by shattering the Patriot League’s and Army’s career assists marks. With 728 career helpers, he became the only player in league and program history to record over 700 career assists. He additionally became just one of four players in league history to tally over 200 assists in a single season after he handed out a program-best 212 helpers during his senior campaign. The Warrington, Pa., native finished his career ranked first, second, third and fifth at Army in single-season assists.
Funk etched his name into several top-10 lists for the men’s basketball program at Army outside of assists as well. He finished eighth in career points (1,544), seventh in steals (102) and tied for 10th in 3-pointers made (167).
As one of just 18 cadets in program history to be named a two-time team captain, Funk improved his scoring, rebounding and assists averages each season en route to being recognized as a First Team All-Patriot League performer as a senior. He previously was named to the all-rookie team as a freshman and to the all-league third team during his junior season.
In his final year on the banks of the Hudson, Funk was a four-time Patriot League Player of the Week, making him the first cadet to achieve that milestone in a single season since Jarrell Brown ’08. Funk additionally was tabbed a U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week, marking the first time a Patriot League player received the honor since the 2010-11 season.