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BIG SKY CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES MEN’S BASKETBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM AND INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
OGDEN, Utah (March 5, 2009) - Regular-season champion Weber State claimed three of four individual awards and placed two players on the first team of the Big Sky Conference All-Conference men’s basketball team, which was announced on Thursday.
Weber State senior Kellen McCoy was selected as the Most Valuable Player, while teammate Damian Lillard was tabbed the Freshman of the Year. Wildcat senior Daviin Davis was named the Defensive Player of the Year.
Montana’s Anthony Johnson, a junior college transfer and the conference’s leading scorer, was named the Newcomer of the Year.
The individual awards and All-Conference team were selected by the nine coaches on Thursday morning. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players.
McCoy, a guard from Norman, Okla., became the second straight 5-foot-6 guard to win MVP honors, following Portland State’s Jeremiah Dominguez. McCoy finished the regular season averaging 14.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He also shot .444 percent from 3-point range and .805 percent from the free-throw line. In 16 conference games, McCoy averaged 16.3 points, 3.3 assists per game, and tied for the league-lead with a 3-point field-goal percentage of .473.
McCoy led a Weber State team, picked in the middle of the pack in the preseason polls, to a 15-1 conference record and the top seed in the upcoming Big Sky Championship. The Wildcats became just the second team in league history to win 15 conference games and are the first to finish 8-0 in conference road games. Weber State enters the tournament riding a 12-game winning streak, second-longest in the nation.
McCoy is the sixth Wildcats to win the MVP award since its inception in 1979.
McCoy and Johnson were unanimous picks to the first team.
Johnson, a 6-2, junior from Tacoma, Wash., became the first Montana Grizzly since 1991 to lead the Big Sky in scoring. The transfer from Yakima Valley Community College, averaged 17.5 points, 3.1 assists and shot a league-best .867 percent from the free-throw line. In league games, Johnson averaged 21.4 points and 3.3 assists per game and made .888 percent of his free throws. Johnson enters the conference tournament having scored in double figures in 17 straight games.
Lillard, a 6-2 true freshman from Oakland, Calif., was a unanimous selection as the Freshman of the Year. He averaged 11.7 points and 3.0 assists per game overall. In conference play, he averaged 14.1 points and 3.9 assists per game. Lillard capped the regular season with a career-high 27 points in a victory over Montana State on Tuesday. Lillard also became the first freshman since Eastern Washington’s Rodney Stuckey in 2006 to be named first team All-Conference. Stuckey is now with the Detroit Pistons.
Davis, a 6-4 senior forward provided a spark offensively and defensively for the Wildcats coming off the bench. He averaged 1.69 blocked shots, 1.21 steals and 3.3 rebounds per game to go along with his 9.9 points per game average. Davis was the top defensive player for the Wildcats, who rank first in the league in 3-point field goal defense, second in scoring defense and field-goal percentage defense, and third in blocked shots. Davis was an honorable mention All-Conference selection.
Joining McCoy, Johnson and Lillard on the first team were Dominguez, Idaho State’s Amorrow Morgan and Northern Colorado’s Jabril Banks.
Dominguez, a 5-6 senior from Salem, Ore., was the only repeat selection on the first team. The 2007-08 MVP averaged 12.6 points, 3.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game. He also averaged a conference-best 2.93 3-point field goals per game, and ranks 15th in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (.432).
Banks is the first player from Northern Colorado to ever be selected first team All-Big Sky. The 6-7 senior forward from Denver, averages 12.3 points 5.6 rebounds per game. He ranks second in the league in field-goal percentage at .635.
Morgan, a 6-5 junior guard from Memphis, Tenn., averaged 13.7 points and 3.7 assists per game. He helped Idaho State to a fourth-place finish in the regular-season standings.
Eastern Washington’s Benny Valentine, Idaho State’s Matt Stucki, Montana’s Jordan Hasquet, Montana State’s Divaldo Mbunga, Northern Arizona’s Cameron Jones and Portland State’s Andre Murray and Dominic Waters were second-team picks.
The 2009 America First Credit Union Big Sky Championship begins Saturday with first-round games on Saturday. No. 6 seed Montana State is at No. 3 seed Montana. No. 5 seed Northern Colorado is at No. 4 seed Idaho State.
The two winners advance to the semifinals on Tuesday, March 10 in Ogden, Utah. Weber State and No. 2 seed Portland State have byes to the semifinals. The championship is Wednesday, March 11 at 8 p.m. Mountain.
2008-09 BIG SKY ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
FIRST TEAM
Player School Pos. Ht. Year Hometown
Jabril Banks Northern Colorado F 6-7 Sr. Denver, Colo.
#Jeremiah Dominguez Portland State G 5-6 Sr. Salem, Ore.
*Anthony Johnson Montana G 6-2 Jr. Tacoma, Wash.
Amorrow Morgan Idaho State G 6-5 Jr. Memphis, Tenn.
Damian Lillard Weber State G 6-2 Fr. Oakland, Calif.
*Kellen McCoy Weber State G 5-6 Sr. Norman, Okla.
*Unanimous Selections
#Two-time first team All-Conference
SECOND TEAM
Player School Pos. Ht. Year Hometown
Jordan Hasquet Montana F 6-9 Sr. Missoula, Mont.
Cameron Jones Northern Arizona G 6-4 So. Los Angeles, Calif.
Divaldo Mbunga Montana State C 6-9 Sr. Luauda, Angola
Andre Murray Portland State G 6-2 Sr. Los Angeles, Calif.
Matt Stucki Idaho State G 6-5 Sr. Pocatello, Idaho
Benny Valentine Eastern Washington G 5-7 Jr. Omaha, Neb.
Dominic Waters Portland State G 6-1 Jr. Portland, Ore.
HONORABLE MENTION
Player School Pos. Ht. Year Hometown
Devon Beitzel Northern Colorado G 6-0 So. Lafayette, Colo.
Kyle Bullinger Weber State F 6-6 Fr. Mountain View, Wyo.
Will Bynum Montana State G 6-3 Jr. Alamgordo, N.M.
Daviin Davis Weber State G 6-4 Sr. Midland, Texas
Will Figures Northern Colorado G 5-9 Jr. Centennial, Colo.
Loren Leath Sacramento State G 6-2 Sr. Oakland, Calif.
Lucas Steijn Idaho State C 6-11 Sr. Muiderberg, Netherlands
Josh Wilson Northern Arizona G 6-2 Sr. Longview, Wash.
INDIVIDUAL AWARD WINNERS
Most Valuable Player
Kellen McCoy, G, Weber State
Newcomer of the Year
Anthony Johnson, G, Montana
Freshman of the Year
Damian Lillard, G, Weber State
Defensive Player of the Year
Daviin Davis, F, Weber State
OGDEN, Utah (March 5, 2009) - Regular-season champion Weber State claimed three of four individual awards and placed two players on the first team of the Big Sky Conference All-Conference men’s basketball team, which was announced on Thursday.
Weber State senior Kellen McCoy was selected as the Most Valuable Player, while teammate Damian Lillard was tabbed the Freshman of the Year. Wildcat senior Daviin Davis was named the Defensive Player of the Year.
Montana’s Anthony Johnson, a junior college transfer and the conference’s leading scorer, was named the Newcomer of the Year.
The individual awards and All-Conference team were selected by the nine coaches on Thursday morning. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players.
McCoy, a guard from Norman, Okla., became the second straight 5-foot-6 guard to win MVP honors, following Portland State’s Jeremiah Dominguez. McCoy finished the regular season averaging 14.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He also shot .444 percent from 3-point range and .805 percent from the free-throw line. In 16 conference games, McCoy averaged 16.3 points, 3.3 assists per game, and tied for the league-lead with a 3-point field-goal percentage of .473.
McCoy led a Weber State team, picked in the middle of the pack in the preseason polls, to a 15-1 conference record and the top seed in the upcoming Big Sky Championship. The Wildcats became just the second team in league history to win 15 conference games and are the first to finish 8-0 in conference road games. Weber State enters the tournament riding a 12-game winning streak, second-longest in the nation.
McCoy is the sixth Wildcats to win the MVP award since its inception in 1979.
McCoy and Johnson were unanimous picks to the first team.
Johnson, a 6-2, junior from Tacoma, Wash., became the first Montana Grizzly since 1991 to lead the Big Sky in scoring. The transfer from Yakima Valley Community College, averaged 17.5 points, 3.1 assists and shot a league-best .867 percent from the free-throw line. In league games, Johnson averaged 21.4 points and 3.3 assists per game and made .888 percent of his free throws. Johnson enters the conference tournament having scored in double figures in 17 straight games.
Lillard, a 6-2 true freshman from Oakland, Calif., was a unanimous selection as the Freshman of the Year. He averaged 11.7 points and 3.0 assists per game overall. In conference play, he averaged 14.1 points and 3.9 assists per game. Lillard capped the regular season with a career-high 27 points in a victory over Montana State on Tuesday. Lillard also became the first freshman since Eastern Washington’s Rodney Stuckey in 2006 to be named first team All-Conference. Stuckey is now with the Detroit Pistons.
Davis, a 6-4 senior forward provided a spark offensively and defensively for the Wildcats coming off the bench. He averaged 1.69 blocked shots, 1.21 steals and 3.3 rebounds per game to go along with his 9.9 points per game average. Davis was the top defensive player for the Wildcats, who rank first in the league in 3-point field goal defense, second in scoring defense and field-goal percentage defense, and third in blocked shots. Davis was an honorable mention All-Conference selection.
Joining McCoy, Johnson and Lillard on the first team were Dominguez, Idaho State’s Amorrow Morgan and Northern Colorado’s Jabril Banks.
Dominguez, a 5-6 senior from Salem, Ore., was the only repeat selection on the first team. The 2007-08 MVP averaged 12.6 points, 3.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game. He also averaged a conference-best 2.93 3-point field goals per game, and ranks 15th in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage (.432).
Banks is the first player from Northern Colorado to ever be selected first team All-Big Sky. The 6-7 senior forward from Denver, averages 12.3 points 5.6 rebounds per game. He ranks second in the league in field-goal percentage at .635.
Morgan, a 6-5 junior guard from Memphis, Tenn., averaged 13.7 points and 3.7 assists per game. He helped Idaho State to a fourth-place finish in the regular-season standings.
Eastern Washington’s Benny Valentine, Idaho State’s Matt Stucki, Montana’s Jordan Hasquet, Montana State’s Divaldo Mbunga, Northern Arizona’s Cameron Jones and Portland State’s Andre Murray and Dominic Waters were second-team picks.
The 2009 America First Credit Union Big Sky Championship begins Saturday with first-round games on Saturday. No. 6 seed Montana State is at No. 3 seed Montana. No. 5 seed Northern Colorado is at No. 4 seed Idaho State.
The two winners advance to the semifinals on Tuesday, March 10 in Ogden, Utah. Weber State and No. 2 seed Portland State have byes to the semifinals. The championship is Wednesday, March 11 at 8 p.m. Mountain.
2008-09 BIG SKY ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
FIRST TEAM
Player School Pos. Ht. Year Hometown
Jabril Banks Northern Colorado F 6-7 Sr. Denver, Colo.
#Jeremiah Dominguez Portland State G 5-6 Sr. Salem, Ore.
*Anthony Johnson Montana G 6-2 Jr. Tacoma, Wash.
Amorrow Morgan Idaho State G 6-5 Jr. Memphis, Tenn.
Damian Lillard Weber State G 6-2 Fr. Oakland, Calif.
*Kellen McCoy Weber State G 5-6 Sr. Norman, Okla.
*Unanimous Selections
#Two-time first team All-Conference
SECOND TEAM
Player School Pos. Ht. Year Hometown
Jordan Hasquet Montana F 6-9 Sr. Missoula, Mont.
Cameron Jones Northern Arizona G 6-4 So. Los Angeles, Calif.
Divaldo Mbunga Montana State C 6-9 Sr. Luauda, Angola
Andre Murray Portland State G 6-2 Sr. Los Angeles, Calif.
Matt Stucki Idaho State G 6-5 Sr. Pocatello, Idaho
Benny Valentine Eastern Washington G 5-7 Jr. Omaha, Neb.
Dominic Waters Portland State G 6-1 Jr. Portland, Ore.
HONORABLE MENTION
Player School Pos. Ht. Year Hometown
Devon Beitzel Northern Colorado G 6-0 So. Lafayette, Colo.
Kyle Bullinger Weber State F 6-6 Fr. Mountain View, Wyo.
Will Bynum Montana State G 6-3 Jr. Alamgordo, N.M.
Daviin Davis Weber State G 6-4 Sr. Midland, Texas
Will Figures Northern Colorado G 5-9 Jr. Centennial, Colo.
Loren Leath Sacramento State G 6-2 Sr. Oakland, Calif.
Lucas Steijn Idaho State C 6-11 Sr. Muiderberg, Netherlands
Josh Wilson Northern Arizona G 6-2 Sr. Longview, Wash.
INDIVIDUAL AWARD WINNERS
Most Valuable Player
Kellen McCoy, G, Weber State
Newcomer of the Year
Anthony Johnson, G, Montana
Freshman of the Year
Damian Lillard, G, Weber State
Defensive Player of the Year
Daviin Davis, F, Weber State