TULSA, Okla. ââ'¬" Ryan Arcidiacono, the playmaker who engineered Villanova's NCAA championship run, is being honored today, May 16th, as the sixth Eddie Sutton Tustenugee Award, presented by Tulsa Sports Charities.

The 6-foot-3 senior guard assisted on the game-winning basket by Kris Jenkins as time expired, lifting Villanova to a 77-74 triumph over North Carolina in the NCAA championship game in Houston. Arcidiacono was presented the Most Outstanding Player award for the Final Four.

"Ryan embodies every quality a coach would love to have in a player, and his innate toughness is a big reason that Villanova won the national championship," said Doug Gottlieb, CBS analyst and overseer of the national panel of college basketball media members that selected Arcidiacono from among seven finalists.

Arcidiacono, a four-year captain for the Wildcats, started every game as a senior during their 35-5 campaign. He led the team in minutes played (32.1), assists (4.2) and steals (1.4). Averaging 12.5 points, he became the first player in Villanova history to record more than 1,500 points and more than 500 assists.

Arcidiacono, who was unable to attend due to his pursuit of professional basketball opportunities, is being represented in Tulsa by Villanova Director of Student Athlete Development Mike Nardi at Cedar Ridge Country Club for the Tulsa Sports Charities celebrity golf tournament.

The Tustenugee Award singles out a player who best exhibits the traits of tenacity and unselfishness that Sutton advocated during his 36-year coaching career that included more than 800 victories.

"Ryan represents every characteristic that the Eddie Sutton Tustenugee Award symbolizes," said Gottelieb, who played for Sutton at Oklahoma State University (1997-2000).

The award is sponsored by the John and Jerry Marshall Foundation of Tulsa. John Marshall was a roommate of Sutton at OSU in the 1950s.

In the language of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, one of the Five Civilized Tribes that settled in Oklahoma, "tustenugee" means "warrior."

Tulsa Sports Charities is an 11-year-old non-profit organization with a track record for hosting blue-ribbon events and gold-medal athletes while delivering some $900,000 in scholarships and donations to area universities and charitable activities.

Previous Winners

2011 ââ'¬" Matt Howard, Butler

2012 ââ'¬" Quincy Acy, Baylor

2013 ââ'¬" Victor Oladipo, Indiana

2014 ââ'¬" Josh Davis, San Diego State

2015 ââ'¬" T.J. McConnell, Arizona