It’s fitting and appropriate. Nic Wise and Derrick Williams were named the Arizona men’s basketball co-most valuable players for this year’s team. A senior who guided (and saved) them (sometimes) and a freshman who should guide them and save them in the future.

Arizona named its MVPs on Monday night at Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa in its annual awards banquet.

Wise averaged 14.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.

Williams averaged 15.7 points and seven rebounds a game. Arizona’s basketball season would have been a disaster had the team not had either of them.

Wise saved the day on at least three occasions, hitting game-winners against Lipscomb, North Carolina State and Southern California. Williams saved them by scoring in bunches and not acting like a freshman. Williams is now only the third Wildcat since 1986 to either share the award or win the award, joining Jerryd Bayless (2008) and Sean Elliott (1986).

In other awards, Kevin Parrom, a 6-foot-6, 205-pound freshman guard/forward from the Bronx, N.Y., was named the Best Defender. He’s been out with a foot injury. It’s not clear if he’ll play this weekend in Arizona’s game against UCLA in the Pac-10 Conference tournament.

Freshman Lamont Jones, a 6-foot, 200-pound freshman guard from Harlem, N.Y., was picked up the Most Improved Player Award.

Here are the other team awards announced at the banquet on Monday night:

2009-10 Arizona Basketball Awards

Fred Enke Most Outstanding Player Award: Nic Wise and Derrick Williams

Mo Udall Captains Award: Nic Wise

Best Defender Award: Kevin Parrom

Most Improved Player Award: Lamont Jones

Best Teammate Award: Alex Jacobson

Golden “A” Award (given for highest fall GPA): Kyle Fogg and Max Wiepking

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