Lucas Alves earns PacWest Men's Basketball
Player of the Year award
Dixie State claims Freshman, Newcomer honors; Chaminade's Maher Coach of the Year
QUEEN CREEK, AZ - Brigham Young University Hawaii sophomore center Lucas Alves (Casa Branca, Brazil/Colegio Avanqo Ensino Progranado - photo) has been chosen the 2007-08 Pacific West Conference Player of the Year, while Dixie State senior center Kasey Winters (Mesquite, NV/Virgin Valley) has been honored as the PacWest Newcomer of the Year and Dixie State rookie guard Landon Clegg (Cedra Hills, UT/Lone Peak) claimed PacWest Freshman of the Year accolades.
The PacWest Office made the announcement on Thursday, March 13, from its location in Queen Creek, AZ.
Chaminade University head coach Matt Mahar, who led the Silverswords to the NCAA Division II Championships and the Pacific West Conference crown this season, was named the Pacific West Conference Coach of the Year.
The conference also unveiled its All-PacWest Men's Basketball Team with Alves and Winters leading the list. Both players were selected as First Team members, heading a roster of seven athletes collecting the honors. Seven players were named Second Team, while five were named to the Honor Roll.
With the exception of the coach of the year honors, All-PacWest awards are voted upon by the head coaches of the conference. PacWest bylaws stipulate that all coach of the year awards go to the head coach of the teams that win the conference title.
The top seven vote-getters in the weighted poll receive First Team rewards, while Second Team honors go to those who rank between 8-14. The athlete with the most votes is named the Player of the Year and any athletes who receive votes but fail to crack the Top 14 are considered Honorable Mention All-Conference.
Separate balloting is conducted for Freshman of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, two new awards that emanated from the Rookie of the Year honor Alves claimed last season. Freshman of the Year must be a first-year student- athlete, or a second-year student with red-shirt freshman status. The Newcomer of the Year award is for any player making his debut in the PacWest.
Both Alves and Whiting (head shot) landed on the
All-Pacific West Men's Basketball First Team to go
along with their individual awards. Alves is a repeat First Team
selection also chosen for the Daktronics Men's Basketball West
Region First Team. He will now go on the national All-American
ballot.
Alves tops the PacWest in scoring and is ranked 16th in all of Division II, averaging 20.5 points per game while shooting 57.5% from the field. He is ranked second in field goal percentage and third in rebounding per game (8.5).
Winters stands behind Alves in scoring, averaging 17.9 points per game. He is second in rebounding (9.6) and fourth in field goal percentage (54.3%).
Clegg completed his rookie campaign by averaging 6.3 points per game while shooting 47.2% from the field (59 for 125). He made 16 of 38 three-point attempts (42.1%), was 35 for 43 from the line (81.4%) and averaged more than 22 minutes per game.
Mahar has guided the Silverswords into the NCAA II West Regional as the third seed after Chaminade won the PacWest with a 15-3 conference record. The Silverswords are 20-7 overall.
Mahar placed five of his players on the All-Pac West Team, including a pair of First Team members in senior forward/center MarkoKolaric (Novi Sad, Serbia) and senior guard Hayden Heiber (Red Bluff, CA/Red Bluff).
Kolaric is a repeat First Team member, while Heiber was an
Honorable Mention in 2006-07.
Kolaric (right), who joined Alves in Alaska for the Division II West Reginal and on the Daktronics West Region First Team, leads the PacWest and is 16th in the nation in rebounding with a 9.9 per game average. He has posted 13.7 points per contest and ranks second in the PacWest in blocked shots (42 total). Kolaric's 54.8% shooting from the field stands second in the league.
Heiber currently tops the PacWest in assists per game (6.67) and steals per contest (2.52). He is averaging 11.0 points per game this year.
Chaminade's Second Team members include senior forward Stewart Kussler (Santa Maria, CA/St. Joseph) and junior forward Rodrick Johnson (Anaheim, CA/Canyon Springs). Kussler is a repeat Second Team member who is averaging 12.6 points and 6.1 boards per game, while Johnson is contributing 13.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest.
Senior guard Mike Green (Corvallis, OR/Crescent Valley) was named an Honorable Mention after averaging double-figure scoring (10.6) in conference games this year.
In addition to Alves, BYU-Hawaii landed two other players on the All-PacWest squad. Senior guard Paul Peterson (Abilene, TX/Cooper) jumped from Honorable Mention last year to First Team in 2007-08, while senior guard Corey Nielson (Gresham, OR/Sam Barlow) made Honorable Mention.
Nielson is posting 8.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game while contributing 139 assists for a 5.79 per game average. He ranks second in the PacWest in handouts. Peterson is contributing 15.0 points per game with 63 three-pointers - second most in the PacWest.
Senior Rudy Bogan (Glendale, AZ/Thornwood -
left) was Grand Canyon University's
lone selection. The veteran forward jumped to the First
Team this season after taking Second Team honors last
year. He averaged 14.9 points per game overall, and 15.6 points per
outing in the conference season. Bogan topped the PacWest in
three-pointers made (67) and three-point shooting (53.6%), and was
third in three-pointers made per game (2.48).
Notre Dame de Namur had a pair of repeat customers on the All-PacWest squad. Senior Ryan Cooper (San Jose, CA/Piedmont Hills) earned Second Team accolades again, while senior guard Chris Clock (Los Gatos, CA/Los Gatos) moved from an Honorable Mention listing to First Team honors.
Clock averaged 14.9 points per game and drained 62 shots from
beyond the arc. He stands third in total three-pointers made and
led the PacWest in three-pointers made per game (2.58).
Cooper (right) posted 14.3 points per contest and shot 49.2% from three-point land, ranking him third in the conference for long-distance accuracy. He is fifth in the league in three-pointers made (60) and made per game (2.31).
In its first year of eligibility, Dixie State landed two All-PacWest slots. In addition to Winters on the First Team, junior forward Ryan Sanchez (Ogden, UT/Fremont) claimed Second Team accolades by averaging 14.2 points per game for the Rebels. He shot 49.4% from the field (125-253), connected on 28 three-pointers, made 88.3% of his free throws (106 for 120) and pulled down 5.1 rebounds per game. He also contributed 62 assists and 40 steals.
Hawai‘i Pacific and Hawai‘i Hilo each claimed three All-PacWest players this season.
Hawai‘i Hilo senior guard Vince Alvarado (Victorville, CA/Silverado) and junior guard John Smith (Berkeley, CA/Pinole Valley) each were named to the Second Team. Senior forward Samuel Wilhoite (Kailua, HI/Kalaheo) was chosen as an Honorable Mention.
Alvarado averaged 12.6 points per game overall and 14.4 during the
conference schedule, while Smith contributed 11.1 points per game
this year. Smith also doled out 82 assists followed by Alvarado who
pitched 74. Both players shot nearly 50% from the field.
Wilhoite (left), who earned Second Team accolades last year, posted 10.0 points per game and pulled down 6.0 rebounds per contest. He was 95 for 184 (51.6%) from the field.
Junior guard Jason Curtis (Landover, MD/Du Val) led Hawai‘i Pacific by claiming Second Team honors. He averaged 14.0 points per game with 69 assists and 33 steals.
Sophomore guard Rishi Kakad (Phoenix, AZ/Horizon) and junior guard Justonn Smith (Redwood City, CA/Woodside) each were listed as Honorable Mention by the conference for the Sea Warriors.
Kikad (right), a repeat Honorable Mention, averaged 13.7 points
per game while draining 56 three-pointers. He shot over 40% from
beyond the arc and made 85.9% of his free throw attempts (67 for
78).
Smith posted 11.0 points per game and pulled down 5.6 rebounds per contest for HPU. He shot 53.4% from the field.
--PWC--